Blood Feud
by New Vamp Nut
Summary: This is my take on an Underworld story. It's really close to the original movie with a ton of different characters and a slightly tweeked story line. Please R&R.
1. The Twins

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Dealers or lycans. I just used them, because I like the terms.

A flash of lightning illuminated the dark city streets of Budapest.  
  
Perched high atop a bell tower overlooking the city was a young woman.  
  
Her name was Simone, and she was a female vampire, a vampiress. Her raven black hair was slightly wavy and short, falling a bare inch above her shoulders. At first glance, her eyes looked blue, but upon closer inspection, you could see a slight tinge of green to them. She was dressed in a pair of black leather pants, a tight blood red jersey shirt, and a pair of ebony combat boots with a long, black leather trench coat draped over her thin shoulders.  
  
Simone looked very much like a normal vampire with her pale, alabaster skin and sharp fangs, but she was anything but a normal vampire. She was an outcast among her kind, having lived her entire immortal life in the company of the lycans, the sworn enemies of the vampires.  
  
Despite this, she held no regrets about her life or the countless number of vampires she'd killed over the past two hundred years of her life.  
  
Simone turned her gaze to the street below, disregarding the freezing rain dripping off her skin, and she quickly picked her lycan companions out of the crowd of humans one hundred and fifty feet below her.  
  
Without a second thought, she stood up on the railing and casually stepped off, plummeting toward the deserted street below. Landing nimbly on her toes, she straightened and walked off as if nothing had happened.  
  
Just as she reached the train station, she spotted her comrades again and slowed down her fast pace to meet their eyes. She nodded to them once, silently telling them the coast was clear, and watched them enter the station before following a minute later.  
  
Her companions consisted of three male lycans, all well trained warriors, all at least a century older than she was.  
  
The largest lycan was a well-muscled man of Egyptian descent, who stood a little over six and a half feet tall. He was the oldest of the group at eight hundred. His name was Naum, and he was well respected as the beta male of the pack.  
  
The other two were quite a bit smaller and younger than he was and lean in their build. They were brothers named Trix and Link and were only about five hundred years old.  
  
Simone stopped behind them and watched the train roll in, curious to see the American pack they'd come to fetch.  
  
The old steam engine stopped, and smoke belched from its smokestack.  
  
The small group of immortals watched patiently as the humans all exited the cars, relaxing when they found the American pack.  
  
About twenty lycans got off the train and joined Naum's group before their leader appeared in the car's doorway. He quickly scanned the area for his pack and visibly sighed in relief when he saw that they'd already found the Hungarian lycans. He got off the train and joined his packmates, going straight to their head to speak with Naum.  
  
Simone watched him with curiosity, not quite understanding why this young, meek-looking lycan was the American alpha. He wasn't overly tall or imposing, being only a few inches taller than she was. He had shaggy, dark blonde hair and soft blue eyes. He did have muscle though, she noticed as her eyes landed on his exposed chest.  
  
When she looked up again, she found him watching her. She hurriedly looked away, slightly embarrassed about being caught looking at him.  
  
He watched her look away and grinned slyly at her, ignoring Naum for the moment.  
  
"David!" Naum snapped, irritated with the young alpha.  
  
David snapped out of his daze and met Naum's dark eyes. "Sorry, Naum," he apologized. He glanced back at Simone quickly, only to find that she was gone.  
  
Naum followed the younger male's gaze to where Simone had been before looking down as he felt a light, cold touch on his arm, already knowing who it was.  
  
"There are three Death Dealers here," Simone told him, meeting David's gaze again. She broke eye contact quickly and disappeared into the crowd again.  
  
Naum nodded and motioned for the pack to follow him, fighting to stay calm. He led them toward the doors, watching the approaching Dealers closely.  
  
Just as the pack reached the doors, the lead Dealer stepped in front of them, blocking their exit.  
  
David glared at the lead Dealer and glanced to the sides to see the other two Dealers close in around them. He nudged Naum with his elbow and nodded to the vampires.  
  
Naum growled in frustration and clenched his large hands into fists, briefly wondering why nothing ever went as planned for them. He quickly pulled out his guns and pointed them at the lead Dealer, firing at her.  
  
The humans in the station all screamed and began to take off running in all directions to get away from the fighting.  
  
The Dealers abruptly returned fire on the lycans, hitting a few but not killing them.  
  
Simone watched as two lycans, Link and one of the Americans, fell to the ground before whipping out her Berettas and shooting at the vampires. She hit one in the chest and watched him burn alive with mild satisfaction.  
  
"Blood!" Naum called, finding her half-hidden beside a pillar.  
  
Simone heard him yell for her and met his dark gaze briefly to let him know that she'd heard him.  
  
"Get the pack to the den!" Naum ordered, turning his attention back on the Death Dealers. He continued to shoot at the lead Dealer as the vampire ran behind a pillar. He turned to David quickly, satisfied that the Dealer would stay quiet for the moment. "Follow the Blood!"   
  
David's eyes widened as he turned to Naum in surprise. He looked over his shoulder where the larger lycan was pointing and saw Simone firing at the lead Dealer. He glanced back at the Egyptian for confirmation, not wanting to believe that she was a hated vampire.  
  
"She'll lead you back to the den," Naum told him, charging the lead Dealer.  
  
David watched him chase after the female Death Dealer with Trix tailing him, before turning to his pack. He motioned for them to follow him, and he ran off toward Simone.  
  
Simone waited a moment for him to reach her before taking off out of the station into the stormy Hungarian night. She glanced over at David, who ran along at her side, and then back at the rest of the pack, making a mental note at how many there were. She quickly turned down an alley and kicked a box away, unveiling a hatch door. Checking to make sure the coast was clear, she opened the hatch with minimal difficulty and motioned for the lycans to enter the hole.  
  
David waited patiently at her side until all of his pack had jumped down before following them. He landed lightly on his feet and turned to help Simone down. He knew full well that she didn't need help, but it was how he had been brought up, as a gentleman.  
  
Simone didn't look before she leapt and was startled to find that David had caught her. Her feet still dangled half a foot above the floor, and her body was held loosely against his chest. Her hands were instinctively resting on his shoulders to keep herself steady, and she met his shining blue eyes, her face a mere inch from his.  
  
David felt a blush rising to his face as he met her intense stare. He gently swung her to the ground and set her on her feet, finding it hard to release her waist.  
  
Simone's eyes hardened briefly, and she turned to continue down the path through the sewers. She stepped out of his grasp and walked away, knowing that the pack would follow her.  
  
Naum and Trix were slowly gaining on the female Death Dealer, chasing her into the sublevel tunnels of the city.  
  
Gunfire sounded from behind them, and Trix fell as a silver bullet caught him in the shoulder.  
  
Naum glanced back at him, briefly slowing down, but continued to chase after the Dealer, knowing that Trix could handle himself.  
  
The Death Dealer rounded a corner and pulled out four throwing stars. She turned around on one foot and whipped the silver stars at an unsuspecting Naum as he turned the corner.  
  
Naum skidded to a stop as the stars imbedded themselves in his torso, and he watched her run away, growling low in his throat.  
  
"Let her go," Trix said, appearing behind him. He casually threw the Death Dealer slung over his shoulder onto the concrete, glaring down at the vampire. "We should be heading back anyway."  
  
Naum stared at the younger male for a moment before nodding and reluctantly walking off toward the den, Trix falling in behind him.  
  
Simone walked into the lycan den and straight through the hall, ignoring the lycans around her. She stopped abruptly as she remembered the Americans behind her, and she turned to them. "All of you may stay here and relax with the pack until we get someone to take you to your rooms," she told them, her voice and face emotionless.  
  
The American pack nodded and moved to congregate with the Hungarians.  
  
"But I need the alpha and beta males to come with me," she added, watching David stop at her side. She glanced at him briefly and then turned to the pack to await the beta.  
  
"He's dead," David whispered into her ear, hanging his head in sorrow.  
  
Simone shivered slightly as his warm breath tickled her neck, and she slowly turned her head to look at him. She noticed his grief and decided to drop the subject. "Follow me then," she ordered, keeping her voice gentle.  
  
David nodded and followed her down the corridor, keeping his head down. He almost ran into her when she stopped at a door, and he looked up to meet her eyes.  
  
Simone wordlessly opened the door and stepped inside, knowing that he would follow her. She walked right up to the Hungarian alpha, Lukacs, and took a seat in the chair beside him, flashing him a quick smile. She looked to him as a second father, since he had saved her life two hundred years ago and had then raised her as one of his own among the lycans.   
  
Lukacs returned the smile and looked up as David entered. "David," he greeted, happy to see his lycan protégé again.  
  
"Hey Lukacs," David replied with much less cheer.   
  
"How have you been?" Lukacs asked, watching David sit down across from Simone.  
  
"I've been pretty good," David answered, finally meeting his sire's eyes. "How about you?"  
  
"I can't complain," Lukacs told him, sitting down in his chair.  
  
Sonia, the lead Death Dealer from the train station, drove furiously down the street and through the mansion gates as they opened for her. She parked her car in the garage and went inside the mansion.  
  
The lounging vampires watched her walk through the hall and through the back door that led to the lab, immediately returning to their conversations when she disappeared.  
  
Sonia walked straight up to the desk at the back of the room, dropping her gun on the top of it to get the vampire's attention.  
  
The weapons master, Mael, looked away from the machine gun in his hands to Sonia.  
  
"We have a serious problem," she told him.  
  
"And what might that be?" the vampire regent, Jozsef, wondered as he entered the room with three Death Dealers and an elegantly dressed Elder.  
  
The Elder, Amelia, was a relatively tall, slender vampire. Her cat-slanted eyes were a beautiful mixture of blue and gray that changed colors depending on her clothes. Her long black hair fell in tight curls and reached the middle of her back when it was down. At the moment, it was pulled up into a tight ponytail atop her head, tied up with a jeweled band. Around her slender neck was a silver choker with a small diamond snake pendant hanging from it. Her dress was tight, form fitting, and had no sleeves or collar. It was blood red in color and accented her pale skin well. She wore a silver snake band on each arm, and a small silver ring studded with three rubies adorned her right hand.  
  
The vampires already present dropped to one knee respectfully as Amelia entered.  
  
Amelia nodded to them, watching them all get to their feet, and fixed her blue-gray eyes on Mael and Sonia. "What happened?" she asked, her voice and face blank.  
  
"The lycans have a vampire with them," Sonia explained, looking right at Amelia.  
  
"They've caught Dealers before," Jozsef insisted. "Why should this one be any different?"  
  
"Because she's not a Death Dealer!" Sonia snapped, her blue-green eyes flashing angrily. "She was helping the lycans."  
  
"A vampire would never help lycans," Jozsef scoffed.  
  
"They opened fire on us in full view of the public, her included!" Sonia yelled, furious with him. "She killed Jakob, and who knows what happened to Tobias. We should gather the Death Dealers and head back down there in force."  
  
"Fine," Jozsef agreed after a moment, turning to Mael. "I'll have Sander assemble a search team and-"  
  
"No, I want to lead the team myself," Sonia argued.  
  
"Absolutely not!" Jozsef told her, getting irritated with her. "Sander will handle it."  
  
Sonia opened her mouth to protest again but was cut off when Amelia spoke up.  
  
"This house is in a state of unrest as it is," Amelia explained, stepping forward. "We don't have the time or the need to attack the lycans head on just for the sake of two Death Dealers."  
  
Sonia stared at her in disbelief for a moment before angrily storming out of the room.  
  
"She is a spirited one, isn't she?" Amelia stated, sarcastically.  
  
"She sure is," Jozsef agreed, his dark eyes fixed on where Sonia had disappeared.  
  
Amelia smirked at him and left the room, the Death Dealers following her.  
  
Lukacs was busy explaining his plan to David when Naum burst in with Trix, getting their immediate attention.  
  
"Naum, we're in a meeting," he said, his voice edging on irritated.  
  
"I see that," Naum replied, baring his teeth at Simone briefly. Even after two hundred years, he still hated her with a fiery passion, although he did hold a grudging respect and trust for her.  
  
Simone responded by hissing at him, letting her fangs elongate and her eyes turn the icy blue that marked her kind. She despised Naum and knew that he felt the same way about her, but she didn't really care. She looked at David sharply when she heard him growl warningly, almost as if he was protecting her, and she was surprised to see him glaring at Naum.  
  
Lukacs noticed too and spoke up. "Simone, be a dear and go check on our guests," he ordered, smiling slightly at her glare. He knew she hated it when he called her a "dear," but he loved to tease and annoy her.  
  
Simone nodded once in agreement and stood up. She turned her glare on Naum as she passed him and left to carry out her orders.  
  
Naum returned the glare and turned back to Lukacs as soon as she was gone.  
  
Amelia walked into Sonia's room, an elegant evening dress in her hands, and she went right over to where Sonia sat.  
  
Sonia glanced up from her laptop at Amelia briefly, already knowing why she was there.  
  
"Oh yes," Amelia said, holding up the dress to look at it. "You'll look absolutely breathtaking in this one. It's perfect."  
  
Sonia groaned and rolled her eyes, brushing her short black hair out of her face.  
  
Amelia chuckled a little and turned to look at the girl she saw as another daughter, smiling at her. "Niklaus requested that you wear this for the Coven's meeting with Erik tonight," she explained, knowing that the mention of her mate's name would win over the stubborn Death Dealer.  
  
Sonia sighed defeatedly and finally dared to look up at the dress. She had never met Erik before, but Niklaus always sent something that was a little too skimpy for her incredibly modest taste. Her eyes widened slightly when she actually saw the dress. She could tell that it was Amelia's, but it surprised her at how modest it actually was.  
  
It was a plain black dress with a wide collar that would open up at her shoulders. Its sleeves were long and flared out at the elbows. The body was form fitting and flared out at the waist. The skirt reached the floor and had a thigh-high slit up the right side.   
  
Sonia lifted her head and met Amelia's eyes suspiciously.   
  
Amelia smiled at her and laid the dress across the window-seat. She turned from Sonia and left the room, knowing that she would come down if she wanted to.  
  
Sonia watched her leave and fixed her eyes on the door for a minute before looking down at the dress.  
  
Amelia stood at the base of the stairs with Niklaus and their four-year-old daughter, Sacha. She was dressed in a gold bikini-like top and a low-riding white skirt with gold trim, exposing her midriff. The snake bands around her upper arms now sported two white sleeve-like cloths that reached her knees, and she now wore a pair of ornately carved Celtic bangles on her wrists. The diamond snake choker still hung around her neck, and her hair was still up in the same ponytail. She loosely held Niklaus' arm with one hand, her head resting lightly on his shoulder as she awaited the arrival of the third Elder, her older brother Erik.  
  
Sacha stood at Amelia's side, holding the other of her mother's hands. Her large, innocent doe brown eyes followed Amelia's gaze to the front doors. Her curly black hair was pulled up into twin ponytails on either side of her head, tied up with light blue ribbons. Her outfit was almost a perfect miniature of Amelia's. She wore the same white skirt and bracelets as well as a matching necklace. Her top consisted of a white spaghetti-strap tank top with a sheer, gold jacket over it.  
  
Niklaus glanced down at them and smirked proudly at his family, looking up sharply as he heard a car pull up and stop in front of the house.  
  
A moment later, the front doors opened, and a group of about a dozen vampires headed by Erik entered the room. They walked straight up to the other two Elders and stopped in front of them.  
  
Amelia smiled at Erik and released Niklaus' arm and Sacha's hand to hug her big brother, who slowly returned the embrace. She pulled away and kissed his cheek lightly before latching on to Niklaus' arm again, watching her daughter wrap her little arms around Erik's legs.  
  
Erik lifted the little girl up into his arms and hugged her gently, smiling slightly as she kissed his cheek.  
  
"Erik," Niklaus greeted, his voice cold and threatening.  
  
"Niklaus," Erik replied, looking the older vampire in the eyes as he set Sacha on her feet.  
  
"Now boys," Amelia spoke up, stepping between them. "Behave."  
  
Erik and Niklaus both backed down, knowing full well that she was the strongest of the three of them. They glared at each other once more before looking up at the stairs as they heard them creak.  
  
Sonia stood there at the top of the stairs, wearing the black dress that Amelia had given her. Her hand rested lightly on the rail, and her eyes were fixed on Erik.  
  
"Sonia!" Sacha cried, rushing up the steps to meet her "big sister." She loved Sonia dearly and treated her as a sister, because she had been raised to think of her as such.  
  
Sonia smiled down at the little girl and picked her up, settling her on her hip, before turning her eyes back on Erik.  
  
The youngest of the three Elders was about three or four inches taller than she was and about two inches shorter than Niklaus. His light brown hair was cropped short, because he despised long hair. His inhuman blue eyes were naturally a light ocean blue, and his sharp vampiric fangs showed through his slightly open mouth. He was dressed in a simple, black, satin dress shirt and matching ebony pants. Unlike Niklaus and Amelia, he didn't believe imposing dress demanded respect. Frankly, he didn't really care how he looked.  
  
Amelia left Erik and Niklaus to meet Sonia on the stairs. She joined the younger vampire on the top step and took her hand. She smiled at the questioning look the Death Dealer gave her and led her down the stairs to join the other Elders. "Sonia, this is my older brother, Erik," she explained, nodding to her brother. "And Erik, this is Sonia, our most tenacious Death Dealer."  
  
Erik smiled at the women and took Sonia's hand, cradling it in his own. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sonia," he said, kissing her hand gently.  
  
"Likewise," Sonia replied, the corners of her lips tugging upward slightly.  
  
Erik raised his eyebrows several times and grinned crookedly at her, hoping to get a real smile. He got his wish.  
  
Sonia's teeth flashed in a quick, genuine smile, and she abruptly looked away.  
  
Sacha giggled from her place on Amelia's hip, covering her mouth with her pale, little hand.  
  
Erik chuckled lightheartedly at them and offered Sonia his arm as he watched Niklaus and Amelia walk over to the fireplace.  
  
Sonia met his eyes briefly, saw Jozsef glaring at the Elder, and accepted his arm.  
  
Erik smiled at her and led her over to the fireplace beside Niklaus and Amelia. He sat her down beside Amelia at the table and moved to stand next to Niklaus.  
  
"Our noble houses may be separated by a great ocean, but we are equally committed to the survival of the bloodlines," Niklaus began, getting every vampire's attention. "Now that Erik has arrived, we will once again be reunited as a single Coven."  
  
The gathered vampires all clapped for him, pleased with his news.  
  
Amelia and Sonia looked at each other and smiled, applauding Niklaus as well.  
  
Beside them, Erik clapped as well, though he was not quite as enthusiastic as the others were.  
  
In the back of the room, Jozsef sat by himself, glaring daggers at Erik.  
  
Next Night…  
  
Simone strode through the hall of the den and stopped at the exit. She grabbed a few mags of UV bullets and her leather trench coat, jamming her guns into the holsters at her sides.  
  
"Where are you off to?" David asked, appearing behind her.  
  
"We're low on blood, and since I'm the only vampire here, I have to go get it," Simone answered, not looking at him.  
  
"Do you mind if I come with you?" he wondered, feeling a strange need to protect her.  
  
Simone froze in surprise and turned to look at him. She searched his face for any sign of falsehood and found none. He was absolutely serious. "I guess you can if you want," she gave in, still a little suspicious.  
  
David perked up and grabbed his own coat and ammo before following her out to her car.  
  
About fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a hospital.  
  
Simone turned off the engine and took a deep breath. "Well, let's go," she ordered, getting out. She waited for David to join her before locking the jaguar and heading into the hospital with him close behind her. She walked straight up to the front desk and rang the bell.  
  
The nurse spun around in her chair to face the vampiress. "Can I help you?" she asked, glancing at David quickly.  
  
"I'm looking for Dr. Mihaly Somi," Simone answered. "Perhaps you could tell me where I can find him?"  
  
"I'll call him for you," the nurse replied, picking up the phone. "Paging Dr. Somi. Will Dr. Somi please report to the front desk?" She put the phone down and smiled at them. "He'll be here shortly. You two should go wait over there."  
  
Simone nodded and went to sit down, David picking up stride beside her.  
  
"Who's this Mihaly Somi?" he wondered, feeling a slight pang of jealousy.  
  
Simone smirked at him and sat down, watching him take a seat beside her. "He's a friend," she told him, crossing her legs. She had met Mihaly a century before when he'd come to Budapest from Moscow, and they had become fast friends, almost like siblings. Since he was a doctor, she was able to get blood from the hospital without arousing too much suspicion.  
  
"Simone?" a young man called, looking around for the vampiress.  
  
Simone looked over at him at the mention of her name and stood up, smiling at him. "Mihaly," she replied, walking up to him.  
  
The young man looked over at her and smiled as she stopped in front of him. He was about to hug her when he heard David growl warningly. He looked over Simone's shoulder at David and nodded understandingly. "Well, let's go get your things," he spoke up, walking back the way he'd come.  
  
Simone glanced from Mihaly to David suspiciously before following the young doctor, David close behind her.  
  
Mihaly led them up two floors and into his office. He opened a small refrigerator and pulled out a handful of blood bags. He gave them to Simone and grabbed a few more at her expectant stare.  
  
"That's good," she said, putting the bags in her coat pocket. "Thanks Mihaly." She flashed him a quick, grateful smile and left with David. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw two Death Dealers standing at the end of the hallway.  
  
David growled low in his throat and inched closer to her.  
  
Simone glanced at him sideways, hesitantly took his hand, and led him away from the Death Dealers, acutely aware that the vampires were following them. She broke into a run the second she turned the corner and practically dragged David along behind her to the front doors.  
  
David glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes widened slightly as he saw the Death Dealers chasing after them. He turned back around and ran faster to get away from them. He heard gunfire behind him and saw Simone stumble.  
  
Simone heard the gunshots and felt the sting of a bullet as it imbedded itself in her side. She staggered from the pain and impact and felt a pair of strong arms lift her up.  
  
David held her close as he ran as fast as he could through the hospital. He reached the front doors and ran outside, freezing when he saw Sonia standing there with a gun pointed at his head.  
  
Simone opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder at Sonia. She met the other vampiress' gaze, and her blue-green eyes widened in shock. "Sonia?!" she exclaimed, struggling to get out of David's grasp.  
  
Sonia's matching blue-green eyes widened as she heard her name, and she lowered her gun to get a good look at the vampire that'd spoken. "Simone?!" she asked, nearly dropping her gun in surprise.  
  
David looked between the two quickly before flicking his eyes to the doors behind him when he heard them open. Without a second thought, he took off toward where they'd left the car. He put Simone in the passenger seat and climbed into the driver's seat. "Keys," he demanded, taking them from Simone when she held them out for him.  
  
The Death Dealers ran out into the parking lot just as David drove away.  
  
"Why didn't you shoot him?" one Dealer asked Sonia, angrily.  
  
Sonia didn't answer him. Her dazed eyes were fixed on the spot where she'd seen her sister again, and she hadn't even heard him speak.   
  
"Sonia!" the Dealer yelled, furious now.  
  
Without warning, Sonia pushed him out of the way and took off after the car, desperate to see if that girl really was her "dead" sister.  
  
Meanwhile, David drove frantically through Budapest, trying hard to stay calm. He looked over at Simone and bit his lip nervously. She was losing blood fast, and her skin was a ghastly white. "Simone, please stay awake," he said. "You've gotta stay with me."  
  
Simone flashed him a weak glare and leaned her head back on the seat. "Just shut up and drive," she ordered, irritatedly. "I'll be fine."  
  
David turned his attention back to the road, though he was obviously still worried about her.  
  
Simone took a deep, shaky breath and passed out from blood loss.  
  
"Simone!" David cried, slamming on the brakes. He quickly got out and went to the passenger's side door to pull Simone out with him. He gently laid her down on the sidewalk, kneeling down beside her, and brushed the dark hair out of her face. He kissed her forehead gently and moved to examine her wound. He untucked her shirt and sat back on his haunches when he saw the gaping hole in her side.  
  
Taking a deep breath, he dug his fingers into the hole, pausing briefly when she whimpered, and ripped the little silver bullet out of her flesh, tossing it aside as it burned his skin. He took off his coat, tore off the sleeve, and tied it tight around her waist.  
  
When he looked up again, he met the inhuman blue eyes of a vampire. Not intimidated, he leaned in a little closer to her face and kissed her softly. He pulled away and fixed his eyes on hers, watching them fade back to their natural blue-green color.  
  
Simone watched him closely for a moment longer before she passed out again, her eyes sliding shut. She clearly trusted him to protect her while she was unconscious.  
  
David moved to pick her up but was thrown backwards by the bullet that slammed into his chest. He half-opened his eyes to see the Death Dealer that had shot him kneel down beside Simone and move to lift her up. He tried to get up, growling threateningly at the Dealer.  
  
Sonia straightened and slung Simone's arm across her shoulders, fixing her eyes on the unconscious vampiress' face. She glared down at David and adjusted Simone's weight slightly.  
  
David's eyes widened as he got a good look at the Dealer's face. She was identical to Simone in every way. "No," he whimpered, trying to get up as she turned and left. "No… Simone…" He fell back against the cement and closed his eyes tightly.  
  
A shadowed beast slowly closed in on her.  
  
Simone watched as if from the sidelines as the creature closed in another vampire that looked so much like her.  
  
The vampire was dressed in the garb of a Death Dealer, and her eyes were the inhuman blue of a vampire. She fired at the creature until her clip was empty and dropped her gun when it was, her eyes widening slightly in fear.  
  
In the blink of an eye, the creature was upon the other vampire, its face a bare inch from hers.   
  
Simone could pick out the familiar scent of lycan as well as that of her own kind on this creature. A hybrid, she thought, her eyes widening as she looked at the creature in a new light.  
  
The creature was dressed in the same leather cat suit as the vampire, although she could tell that it was stretched out. It was definitely female, and its skin was a sleek, silvery blue color. It had the same short, wavy black hair as the vampire and was built exactly the same way.  
  
The creature turned around slightly, and Simone's blue-green eyes met solid, deep blue eyes.  
  
Simone sucked in her breath sharply and sat up slowly, holding her head in one hand.  
  
"You're finally awake," Sonia spoke up, standing.  
  
Simone looked over her shoulder at Sonia and found herself looking into a face that matched her own. "Sonia?" she asked, suspiciously.  
  
Sonia nodded and sat down on the bed beside her.  
  
"But… how can you still be alive?" Simone wondered.  
  
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Sonia replied, meeting Simone's eyes again. She smiled weakly at her and hesitantly touched her hand.  
  
Without warning, Simone wrapped her arms around Sonia and hugged her tightly. "I've missed you so much, Sonia," she said, smiling.  
  
Sonia returned the hug and just barely managed to hold back her tears, which she knew Simone was having a hard time doing as well.  
  
They pulled away a moment later and smiled at each other, laughing slightly.  
  
Sonia got up off the bed and went over to her closet. She pulled out a Death Dealer suit, coat, and boots and held them out for Simone. "There's a bathroom over there if you want to take a shower," she explained, pointing at the door on the other side of the room. "I'll be right out here. Just call me if you need anything."  
  
Simone nodded in agreement and took the clothes from Sonia. She smiled at the other vampiress and went to take a shower.  
  
David sat on a metal table, clearly in a daze, while an older-looking lycan named Slaje tended to his wounds.  
  
"David!" Lukacs called, entering the room.  
  
David glanced at him briefly, barely acknowledging his presence.  
  
"David, where's Simone?" Lukacs asked, fighting to keep his voice from raising in anger.  
  
"At the vampire mansion," David answered, his voice hollow. "A female Death Dealer took her."  
  
Lukacs remained silent, simply watching David. So, he's chosen her, he thought, curiously. That's unexpected, but not altogether unwanted… It will certainly make my plan easier. He smiled slightly and left the room.  
  
Simone had just come out of the bathroom and joined Sonia in cleaning their weapons and catching up on the past when Mael burst in with Sander and two other Death Dealers.  
  
Both women looked up as they entered, their irritated expressions mirror images of each other.  
  
"Why are you here, Mael?" Sonia asked, silencing the hiss she knew was coming from her sister.  
  
"Niklaus wants to see you both… now," Mael answered, glancing between the two in confusion.  
  
Sonia nodded to him and motioned for Simone to follow her. She led her sister downstairs to the throne room, disregarding Simone's hiss at the other vampires.  
  
They entered the throne room and stopped in the middle of the floor, facing the two male Elders.  
  
Simone saw Sonia glance at Erik and then drop to one knee in respect, and she glared down at her, unable to believe that she was showing obeisance to those monsters.  
  
Sonia stood up a moment later and glanced sidelong at her sister. She was surprised to see her eyes the inhuman blue that marked her kind as she glared at the Elders, Niklaus in particular. When she looked up again at her sire, she saw him returning the glare.  
  
"Sonia, who is this girl?" Erik demanded, fixing his hard eyes on Sonia.  
  
"She is my twin sister, Simone," Sonia answered, taking a protective step toward her twin. She looked pointedly at Niklaus, and her eyes hardened. "You told me she'd been killed by the lycans."  
  
"I was mistaken," Niklaus replied, standing up. "I truly thought her dead, my child. Forgive me."  
  
Sonia smiled slightly at him and started to nod, only to look up sharply at Simone's outburst.  
  
"You can't forgive him!" Simone yelled, angrily. "He's a monster!"  
  
"Simone," Sonia growled, warningly.  
  
"Don't you see?" Simone wondered, turning to her twin. "He's the one who killed our family, not the lycans. He's been lying to you for two hundred years. He's the one who slaughtered Momma, Father, and Samuel. The lycans are innocent, Sonia."  
  
Sonia stared at her with wide eyes, not wanting to believe what she had just been told.  
  
"What's going on?!" Amelia demanded from behind them.  
  
The group all turned to look at her, and they shrunk away slightly from the furious look she was giving them.  
  
Amelia didn't get angry very often, but when she did, you didn't want to be around. "Niklaus!" she yelled, walking up to him. "Explain yourself!"  
  
"There is nothing to explain, my dearest Amelia," Niklaus said, trying to assuage her fury. "This girl is simply making ridiculous claims about me killing her family."  
  
"Now, you listen to me," she began, poking his chest with each word. She was cut off by Sacha's shrill little voice and the sound of running feet. She turned just in time to catch the little girl that leapt at her chest and buried her face in her mother's neck. She settled her daughter on her hip and straightened, glaring at Niklaus. "If her claims are ridiculous, then why don't you set her straight?"  
  
Niklaus watched her for a moment before turning to the twins, who were both giving him expectant looks. He sighed in exasperation and met the sisters' matching eyes. "I did not kill your family," he told them, looking pointedly at Simone. "The lycan alpha has been feeding you lies for the past two hundred years, my dear. It is you who has been misled, not Sonia."  
  
Amelia sighed in relief, and her eyes faded back to their natural blue-gray color.  
  
Sonia bit her lip nervously, not quite sure who to believe. She wanted to trust her sister, but she had trusted Niklaus her whole life. She was truly lost, torn between her sister and her savior.  
  
Simone stormed out of the throne room, Sonia close behind her, and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Jozsef standing at the base of the stairs. She huffed in frustration and walked toward the stairs, hissing at Jozsef when she passed him. She was pleased to hear Sonia's slight hiss follow hers and continued on up the stairs with her twin in tow.  
  
Sonia followed Simone up to her rooms and shut the doors behind her as she entered.  
  
"What is he doing here?!" Simone demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Who?" Sonia wondered, turning to face her sister.  
  
"The vampire at the base of the stairs," Simone answered, shifting her weight slightly.  
  
"That's Jozsef," Sonia told her, shrugging nonchalantly. "Niklaus rewarded him with regent position after he killed the lycan leader, Lukacs."  
  
"Lukacs isn't dead," Simone retorted, averting her eyes.  
  
Sonia watched her with curious eyes before taking a seat on the couch. "Why do you hate us so much?" she asked, still desperately trying to understand her sister.  
  
"I've already told you," Simone replied, staring out the window at the thunderstorm. "I'm out to avenge our family."  
  
"I know that, but you're killing the wrong species," Sonia argued, getting angry. "For God's sake Simone, you're killing vampires, your own people."  
  
"No," Simone said, flatly. She looked away from the window and glared at her twin, their eyes both the inhuman blue that marked their kind. "I despise Niklaus for what he did to us. The vampires aren't my people, the lycans are." With that, she turned her gaze back on the storm.  
  
"Niklaus didn't do anything to us!" Sonia yelled, standing up quickly. "He saved us from ravaging lycans after they killed our family."  
  
"He did not!" Simone yelled back, turning to face her twin. "He slaughtered our horses, our mother, father, and brother, and he would have killed us too. He only spared us because we reminded him of his beloved Sophia, his human love that he condemned to death."  
  
"No. It's not true." Sonia shook her head and hid her eyes behind her dark hair.  
  
"Yes, it is." Simone walked over to Sonia and rested her hands on her shoulders. "Right after he changed us, Lukacs attacked him and saved me… Sonia, you have to believe me."  
  
Sonia looked up, her eyes wet with tears, and she met her sister's eyes squarely. "Simone, you need to leave. If Niklaus hears this, he'll kill you." She backed out of her twin's grasp and turned her back on her. "Please… just go."  
  
Simone stared at her in disbelief, thoroughly shocked by what Sonia had said. "How can you trust him over me?" she asked.  
  
Sonia remained silent, trying hard to keep her long-buried memories from resurfacing.  
  
Simone nodded slightly in defeat and picked up her borrowed trench coat and her guns, jamming them into the holsters at her sides. She walked over to the window and opened it, ignoring the rain that poured in. She spared Sonia one last glance before stepping off the windowsill. She landed nimbly on her feet and strode off toward the front gates, desperately hoping her stubborn sister would come to her senses.  
  
Sonia left her room and went down the hall to the library. She walked over to the huge closed doors at the back of the room and tried to open them, finding to her disappointment that they were locked. She quickly looked around for other vampires, and satisfied that no one was coming, she kicked the doors open. She walked into the little room and up to the glass case in the back.  
  
Glancing warily over her shoulder quickly, she smashed the glass with her fist and took out the thick, ancient looking book. She dropped it on the desk in the main library and sat down in the chair.  
  
Her hands hovered undecidedly over the cover before she pursed her lips and opened the book. She had gotten about halfway through the book when the library doors swung open. She abruptly closed the book and looked up just in time to see Amelia enter.  
  
"I've been looking for you everywhere," Amelia said, walking right up to Sonia. She held up her hand to stop the younger vampire from dropping to one knee. "What are you doing in here anyway?"  
  
"Just a little research," Sonia answered, gesturing to the pile of books on the desk. "Amelia, do you believe Lukacs died the way they say he did?"  
  
"Has Jozsef been telling war stories again?" Amelia wondered, meeting Sonia's eyes.  
  
"Well, that's my point," Sonia told her. "It's nothing but an ancient story. His story. There's not a shred proof he killed Lukacs, only his word."  
  
Amelia's eyes flashed blue momentarily, and she looked away thoughtfully. Her gaze landed on the book Sonia had been reading, and her eyes widened slightly. "You broke into our past?" she asked, a little surprised.  
  
"I did," Sonia admitted, nodding slightly. "I'm sorry… It's just… the things Simone said… Part of me really wants to believe her… I just want to know the truth." She hung her head in shame, pointedly avoiding the Elder's eyes.  
  
Amelia watched her closely as Sonia left the room, pondering what she'd said.  
  
Simone stood at her window, staring out at the torrenting rain. Her mind was focused on Sonia and the events that had transpired at the vampire mansion. She didn't even hear the door to her rooms open.  
  
David spotted her standing by her window and silently closed the door. He walked over to her and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.  
  
Simone sucked in her breath sharply and tensed in his arms. She relaxed when she caught his scent and felt his lips brush against her neck lightly.  
  
"What's bothering you?" he asked, burying his face in her neck. His voice was muffled by her neck, and his warm breath was tickling her skin.  
  
"It's nothing," Simone answered, shaking her head.  
  
David turned her around and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "If it's nothing, then why are you crying?" he wondered, showing her the tears on his thumb.  
  
Simone fixed her eyes on his thumb before reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes.  
  
David took her hand in his to stop her and lifted her chin to meet her eyes. "Please tell me," he pleaded, giving her the best puppy face he could muster.  
  
Simone smiled at him slightly and dropped her eyes again.  
  
"Please," he prodded, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand.  
  
Simone took a deep breath and met his eyes again briefly before looking back down at her feet. "There was something in the stable, tearing our horses to pieces," she began, her voice tight as she remembered. "I couldn't have saved my mother or my brother. Their screams woke me. My father died outside, trying to fend him off… I stood on the stairs watching as a creature hovered over my families' bodies. I was about to run when he turned to face me…" She took a deep breath, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "He was soaked in the blood of my horses and family members, and I could see that I was going to be next…"  
  
"Jesus…" David breathed, finding that his anger was growing.  
  
"But instead of killing me, he made me a vampire," she continued. "Next thing I knew I was in his arms… The war had spilled into our house… He'd been tracking Niklaus for days. He fought him off and saved me."  
  
"Who?" David asked, curiously.  
  
"Lukacs," she replied, meeting his gaze again. "He took me in and raised me with the lycans… He gave me the strength to avenge my family, and since then I've never looked back."  
  
David smiled at her gratefully and hugged her gently. "Thanks for telling me," he whispered into her ear. He felt her nod slightly against his shoulder, and then her arms locked around his waist, returning the embrace.  
  
Next Night…  
  
Sonia walked purposefully toward the throne room, her mind focused on the task at hand.  
  
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.  
  
She met Jozsef's angry green eyes and returned his glare.  
  
"How could you do this to me?" Jozsef demanded, furiously. "Embarrass me like this. The entire Coven knows that I had plans for us."  
  
"There is no us!" Sonia snapped, annoyed with his never-ending infatuations.  
  
"You'll go before the Elders and tell them exactly what I tell you to," Jozsef ordered, ignoring her comment. "From here on out, you'll do as I say… Is that in any way unclear?"  
  
Sonia's eyes hardened briefly, and she slammed the heel of her hand into his jaw. She hurried on to the throne room, glancing warily behind her. She entered the throne room and stopped in the middle of the room, Jozsef right behind her. She knew he wouldn't dare to touch her in front of the three Elders, all of whom were very fond of her.  
  
As one, they dropped to one knee in respect.  
  
Niklaus motioned for them to stand and glanced sidelong at Amelia. "Come closer, my child," he said, looking directly at Sonia.  
  
Sonia met his gaze briefly and slowly stepped forward, stopping a few feet from the Elders. "My Lord, I have some very disturbing news for you," she told him, meeting his icy blue eyes again.  
  
"What is it?" Amelia asked, crossing her legs languidly. She looked bored as she lounged on her throne, though her eyes were the same inhuman blue as Niklaus and Erik's.  
  
"I have good reason to believe that Lukacs is still alive and well," Sonia replied, meeting Amelia's eyes briefly. "And even more disturbing is that if I'm correct… it would mean that Jozsef is in league with him."  
  
"Ridiculous!" Jozsef burst out, stepping forward. "She is lying. I would never associate with a filthy dog!"  
  
"Jozsef!" Amelia snapped, getting angry. "Be quiet! Let her speak." Her eyes softened briefly as she looked back at Sonia. "Why have you come to believe that Lukacs still lives?"  
  
"My sister has told me many things about him, and I know that he was supposedly killed four hundred years before we were turned," Sonia explained. "And I remember seeing him flee with her the night my family was killed… I fear that he may be planning to attack us during the day when we are at our weakest."  
  
"That's not possible," Erik scoffed.  
  
"Not for a lycan leader as strong as Lukacs," Sonia argued.  
  
"Lukacs is dead!" Niklaus yelled, stubbornly.  
  
"According to whom?" Amelia wondered, finding that she believed Sonia.  
  
The vampires all looked over to where Jozsef had been, only to find him gone.


	2. The First Hybrid

David sat in Slaje's lab with Simone on the table in front of him.  
  
Lukacs sat beside him with Slaje seated across the table.  
  
"We have finally discovered the error in our research," Slaje began. "In order to combine the species, we need to take the rarest of bloodlines, a direct descendent of Soloman Armandus. Ukrainian. A warlord. He came to power in the early seasons of the fourth century, just in time to watch a plague ravage his village. He alone survived. And then, his body was able to change the disease, mold it to his benefit. He became the first true immortal…" He paused a moment to look at Lukacs before continuing. "And years later, he fathered at least two children, who inherited this same trait."  
  
"The sons of the Armandus clan," Simone added, glancing over her shoulder at the older doctor. "One bitten by bat, one by wolf, one to walk the lonely road of mortality as a human."  
  
"We've all heard the story before," Lukacs commented. "Does this conversation have a point, Slaje?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Slaje answered. "We need a pure source, untainted. An exact duplicate of the original virus. The Armandus strain itself, which we learned was hidden away in the genetic code of his human descendents."  
  
"So, all we need to do is find the descendent of Armandus," David deduced, looking over at Slaje.  
  
Slaje nodded wordlessly as he met David's gaze.  
  
Niklaus stood up from his throne and walked over to Sonia. "I'm sorry I doubted you," he apologized, stopping beside her. "Fear not, my child. Jozsef will pay with his life."  
  
Sonia looked up at him and met his eyes.  
  
"Mommy," Sacha called from the doorway, rubbing her eyes with her little hand. She padded into the room, her bare feet soundless on the stone floor.  
  
Amelia stood up and met her daughter halfway to the thrones, kneeling down so she was eye level with the girl.  
  
Sacha stopped just within arms' reach of her mother and hugged her teddy bear closer to her chest. "Mommy, I had a bad dream," she whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"It's okay, sweetheart," she cooed, pulling the child into her arms. "It's not real… It was just a dream."  
  
Sacha wrapped her arms around Amelia and returned the hug, crying into her mother's shoulder.  
  
Niklaus watched the display stoically before turning back to Sonia, who was watching Erik out of the corner of her eye. "Go find Mael and have him assemble the Death Dealers," he ordered, getting her attention.  
  
Sonia tore her gaze from Erik to look at Niklaus, barely hearing his orders. "Yes, my Lord," she agreed, nodding and leaving to follow her orders.  
  
Naum burst into the lab with his machine gun in hand. "We've got company," he announced.  
  
"Okay," Lukacs replied, getting up. He followed Naum outside and down the hall into his meeting room.  
  
"I thought we had a deal," Jozsef said, turning as Lukacs entered.  
  
"Calm yourself… Jozsef," Lukacs ordered, smirking at the vampire. "Please, escort our guests downstairs."  
  
The several lycans gathered nodded and motioned for the vampires to follow them with their guns.  
  
Jozsef nodded to Sander and the Dealers and watched them leave with the lycans.  
  
Naum slid the door shut as he left, not at all pleased about leaving Lukacs alone with Jozsef.  
  
"The Elders know," Jozsef told him. "Sonia told them."  
  
"Who?" Lukacs wondered, not recognizing the name.  
  
"Sonia," Jozsef answered. "Your vampire's sister."  
  
Lukacs eyes widened, and he hung his head slightly in shame. He looked up again a moment later and glared at Jozsef.  
  
"How do you expect to get rid of the Elders now that they know?" Jozsef asked, returning the glare. "There's no defeating them."  
  
"That is precisely why I needed you to keep them oblivious," Lukacs said. "If the Elders were so easy to dispatch, you'd have done it yourself… centuries ago."  
  
Naum and the lycans led Sander and the Death Dealers to a room downstairs and stopped at the door, letting the vampires pass. They heard gunfire coming from upstairs, and they froze, listening to the screams.  
  
"Exit shaft!" Naum ordered, moving to shut the doors. "Move it!" He slammed the doors shut and locked the deadbolt.  
  
Sander ran for the doors and hurriedly tried to open them, slamming his fist against them when he realized they were locked.  
  
Mael led the Death Dealers into the lycan den, ignoring the bodies that littered the floor.  
  
Among the Dealers were Sonia and Erik. They walked side-by-side behind Mael and were dressed in the traditional black leather suits of the Death Dealers.  
  
Mael led them to the top of the exit shaft and took a grenade out of his coat pocket. He pulled out the pin and tossed the silver bomb down the shaft.  
  
The lycans climbing the ladders watched the grenade fall to the floor and froze as it landed in the puddle of water.  
  
The grenade exploded and blew the lycans to pieces.  
  
Jozsef flinched as the explosion blew out the windows of the meeting room. "It's the Elders," he said.  
  
"Yes," Lukacs agreed, glaring at him. "And if you had done your job, they'd still be at the mansion."  
  
"Is there another way out?" Jozsef asked, watching Lukacs walk over to his desk.  
  
Lukacs turned to him and gave him an exasperated look. "I guess it never occurred to you that you may actually have to bleed to pull this off," he said, sarcastically. He grabbed a mag of UV bullets and loaded his pistol. "Don't even think about leaving." He walked past Jozsef and to the door, pulling it open.  
  
Jozsef lifted the back of his shirt and took the gun from the hidden holster. He pointed it at Lukacs' shoulder and fired.  
  
Lukacs gritted his teeth in pain and lifted his hand to the wound in his chest. He looked down at his hand at the strange liquid that coated it.  
  
"Silver nitrate," Jozsef told him, smirking arrogantly. "Bet you weren't expecting that."  
  
Lukacs turned to shoot him but fell to the floor instead.  
  
Sonia stepped up on the edge of the shaft and looked to Mael for his signal. She jumped down the fifty-foot shaft at his nod, followed by Erik and several other Death Dealers.   
  
They all landed lightly on their feet and stood up, firing at the lycans.  
  
The lycans immediately returned fire as the rest of the Dealers dropped down to the floor.  
  
The Dealers took positions behind pieces of stone and rubble and shot down all of the lycans before continuing down the corridor with Mael and Erik in the lead.  
  
Simone looked out the window below to see the lycan guards taking on a group of Death Dealers. "We need to go," she told David, turning to him.  
  
Just as she turned, the doors burst open, and three fully armed Dealers appeared. They paused when they saw Simone, thinking that she was Sonia.  
  
That gave Simone enough time to pull out one of her Berettas and shoot at them. She managed to hit all three vampires the first time around and covered her eyes as the Dealers burned alive from the inside out.  
  
David touched her shoulder when their bodies stilled and smiled slightly at her when she looked up at him. "Let's go," he said, heading off.  
  
Simone followed him closely and kept a lookout for vampires, both her guns drawn and ready.  
  
Sonia followed her comrades down another corridor and stopped abruptly as she sensed something. She turned from the Dealers and ran off down a different hallway.  
  
Erik heard her and turned to check on her, doing a double-take when he realized she was gone. "Sonia," he called, getting the Dealers' attention. He quickly went off after her without waiting for Mael's instruction, knowing the Dealers would follow him.  
  
Sonia stopped dead in her tracks at an intersection and turned to see a fully-changed lycan coming right at her. She wordlessly raised her guns and shot it down before continuing down the hallway.  
  
About halfway down that hall, another werewolf appeared in front of her.  
  
She flipped over its head, shooting at it until her clip was empty, and landed gracefully at the other end of the hallway. She reached behind her and took out another mag of silver bullets, hurriedly reloading her gun as she heard yet another lycan coming up behind her. She turned just before the lycan reached her and fired at it, lowering her gun and standing when it fell to the floor dead.  
  
Sander and the Death Dealers finally broke the doors open and exited the room.  
  
"Move, move, move!" Sander ordered, waiting for the other Dealers to head off. He followed them down the hall with his gun raised and ready.  
  
Simone led David toward the exit and stopped at the stairs as she smelled an approaching vampire. She aimed her gun at the stairs, fully prepared to shoot the Dealer. Her eyes widened, and she nearly dropped her pistol when Sonia appeared on the stairs. "Sonia?!" she exclaimed, going to meet her sister at the top of the stairs.  
  
"Simone, I've been looking for you everywhere," Sonia replied. "We have to get out of here."  
  
"W-what are you doing here?" Simone wondered, surprised to see her twin.  
  
"The Elders are on their way, and they won't stop until everyone here is dead," Sonia answered, finally catching David's scent. She looked over at him and aimed her gun at his head.  
  
"No, Sonia," Simone protested, moving closer to David. "Not him."  
  
Sonia watched as Simone reached out and took David's hand, squeezing it slightly. She sighed defeatedly and lowered her weapon.  
  
Naum, in lupine form, knelt down on the floor beside a Death Dealer's body, tearing at his ragged flesh with his fangs. He looked up as he smelled approaching Death Dealers and stood up. He jumped through the wall and roared at the vampires.  
  
Niklaus and the three Death Dealers with him stopped and watched the huge lycan.  
  
Naum walked up to them and raised his arm to swipe at Niklaus.  
  
Niklaus caught his arm in one hand and grabbed his throat with the other. He effortlessly snapped Naum's neck and threw him to the ground. He unsheathed his sword and chopped off the lycan's head, baring his fangs in bloodlust.  
  
Simone and David rushed past the meeting room with Sonia close behind and froze when they saw Lukacs slumped down in the doorway.  
  
"Lukacs," David called, kneeling down beside the Hungarian alpha. He gently turned his mentor's head to the side before letting it drop. He hung his head in sorrow and let his blonde hair hide his eyes.  
  
Simone looked at Sonia when she felt her sister rest her hand on her shoulder and met her twin's sympathetic gaze. She smiled weakly at her and turned her attention back to David.  
  
David looked up sharply as he heard a group of running vampires approaching and singled out Sander. He snarled and ran towards the Dealers, pushing the twins out of the way as he passed them.  
  
Sonia and Simone watched him throw Sander to the ground before giving each other nervous looks.  
  
Sander quickly got to his feet and hissed at David, his eyes turning ice blue. He jerked off his trench coat and unraveled the silver whips from around his shoulders.  
  
David's head was thrown to the side as one of the whips struck his cheek, leaving a large, bloody gash. When he looked up again, his eyes were the clouded silvery blue that indicated the change, and his teeth had sharpened and curved into fangs.  
  
Sander whipped David's other cheek and began to swing his whips around with exceptional skill, watching as the lycan changed.  
  
David roared at Sander and took a step closer to the vampire, his tail waving excitedly behind him. He disregarded the whips as they dug into his face, knowing the wounds would be healed in a few hours, and continued to close in on the Dealer.  
  
Sander slowly backed away from David, still whipping like a madman, and paused briefly, looking over his shoulder, as one of his whips got caught in the rubble behind him.  
  
David moved in at his momentary distraction and bit into his throat when he turned back around.  
  
Lukacs slowly opened his eyes and took a shaky breath. He lifted his head and eventually managed to pull himself up to his knees, gritting his teeth in pain from the effort.  
  
Sonia followed Simone through the den and stopped behind a pillar, pressing her back to it beside her sister. She turned abruptly and fired at the lycan that appeared behind her, watching it fall before turning back to Simone.  
  
Around the corner, the battle raged on. Death Dealers were firing silver rounds at the lycans, while the wolves attempted to rip the vampires' throats out with their teeth.  
  
Simone turned from the battle and walked past Sonia. She headed down the hallway and opened a heavy steel door, her eyes widening slightly when she saw Jozsef standing there.  
  
Jozsef turned to see Simone staring at him. He glanced behind her to see Sonia step up, her eyes just as surprised as Simone's. He pursed his lips and aimed his gun at Simone. He fired three shots at her, the silver nitrate oozing out of the holes, and watched her stumble backwards and fall to the ground, writhing in pain.  
  
Sonia was at her sister's side immediately, lifting her head a little to let her twin know that she was there for her. She knew that the silver nitrate itself would not kill her, but the bleeding holes in her chest would.  
  
Jozsef stepped into the room, and his eyes turned icy blue as he saw the twins. "That's enough," he spoke up, moving to grab Sonia's arm. "You're coming with me."  
  
Sonia slapped his hand away and glared daggers at him, her eyes the same ice blue as his. "I hope Niklaus throws you in the sun, traitor!" she snapped, looking back down at Simone.  
  
"I bet you do," Jozsef mocked, leaning closer to her. "Well, let me tell you a little something… about your beloved dark father… He's the one who killed your family, not the lycans…" He glanced down at Simone and frowned slightly before meeting Sonia's eyes again. "She was telling you the truth…"  
  
Sonia met his gaze and shook her head slightly in disbelief, narrowing her eyes at him.  
  
"He never could follow Amelia's rules," Jozsef continued. "So, every once in a while at night, he went out and gorged himself in human blood… I kept his secrets… cleaned up the mess. But it was Niklaus who crept room to room devouring everyone close to your heart…"  
  
"It's not true," Sonia hissed.  
  
"Believe what you want," Jozsef replied, straightening. "Now, come on. Your place is by my side."  
  
Sonia glared at him defiantly and moved closer to her sister.  
  
Jozsef looked between the identical vampires briefly, getting angrier by the second. "Fine," he agreed, aiming his gun at Sonia's head. He looked down as he felt a hand grab his leg and smirked arrogantly down at Lukacs.  
  
Lukacs watched him turn back to the twins and pulled a blade out of his pocket, stabbing it through Jozsef's leg.  
  
Jozsef fell to one knee, gritting his teeth in pain, and backhanded the Hungarian alpha.  
  
Lukacs crashed into a pile of rubble just as David appeared in the doorway.  
  
David looked down at Lukacs and then over at the twins, his eyes widening when he saw Simone.  
  
"Bite her," Lukacs ground out, smiling reassuringly at David.  
  
David glanced down at Lukacs briefly and nodded when he understood. He knew that Lukacs would never put Simone in danger unless he knew it would do some good. She must have been Armandus' human descendent! he realized with a slight tinge of irritation. They'd had her the entire time and didn't even realize it!  
  
Shaking his head to clear his mind, he went to the twins and knelt down on Simone's other side. He ignored Sonia for the moment and bent down over Simone. He kissed her neck softly in an apology before sinking his fangs into her skin.  
  
Lukacs grinned triumphantly at his protégés and rolled onto his back to face Jozsef.  
  
Jozsef pulled the blade from his leg and tossed it aside, looking over at David and the twins.  
  
"You may have killed me… Jozsef," Lukacs stuttered, smirking up at the vampire. "But my will is done… regardless… We bridged the gap between our species…"  
  
Jozsef raised his gun and filled Lukacs with five more silver nitrate bullets, killing him for sure this time. He looked up as he sensed someone coming, and he retreated when he saw Niklaus approaching.  
  
Niklaus walked into the room with his Death Dealers and paused briefly at what he saw. Baring his fangs in rage, he grabbed Sonia by the back of the neck and casually tossed her aside. He then tore David from Simone and flung him through the stone wall before setting his sights on the semi-conscious Simone. He lifted her up by her throat and carefully studied her face.  
  
Simone opened her eyes a little and briefly met his gaze before he whipped her through the hole in the wall that David had left.  
  
"Where is he?!" Niklaus demanded, turning to Sonia. "Where's Jozsef?!"  
  
Sonia remained silent and cowered away from him, her eyes filling with tears.  
  
Simone looked up from the pool of water she lay in, and her ice blue eyes clouded over to a solid navy blue. She gasped at the sudden pain and rolled over on to her back.  
  
Niklaus knelt down before Sonia and met her eyes, his own icy blue eyes softening a bit. "Forgive me, my child," he pleaded.  
  
"It wasn't the lycans," Sonia said, letting her tears fall freely. "It was you."  
  
Niklaus' face hardened slightly, and he stood up as he realized what she was talking about. "Leave us," he ordered the Dealers before turning back to Sonia. He paused a moment before continuing. "Yes, I have taken from you, but I have given so much more… Isn't it a fair trade? The life I have given you, the gift of immortality?"  
  
Sonia didn't answer, too shocked by his confession to say anything.  
  
Simone's leather cat suit stretched with her body as it transformed into a lycan, her nails already long and her skin blackening.  
  
"I know that you love your sister, but she is a disgrace of the Coven," Niklaus explained.  
  
Simone's body slowly shrank back to its original proportions, only a bit more muscular, and her skin lightened to a silvery blue color.  
  
"I must do what's necessary to protect the species!" Niklaus announced, unsheathing his sword.  
  
Simone opened her solid blue eyes just then, her transformation complete.  
  
Niklaus watched Sonia for a moment longer before going to the hole he'd made in the wall.  
  
"No!" Sonia protested, worried for her sister.  
  
Niklaus looked around the now-empty room for Simone, but she was gone. Hearing breathing, he whirled around and came face to face with the hybrid abomination he'd feared for centuries.  
  
Simone's lean muscles could easily be seen through her tight-fitting clothes, and her smooth skin was a deep silvery blue in color. Her eyes were a dark, navy blue that looked endless, since there was no longer any whites or pupils to her eyes. Her mouth was open slightly to bare her long, sharp fangs, and her once delicate hands now sported three-inch black claws. Her short, black hair was still dripping water, and her sleek, black tail swayed slightly behind her, also dripping water.  
  
Niklaus hissed at her in fury and disgust, only to be shoved through the wall and into the pool of water by her. He rolled over onto his knees and looked up at her, hissing at her as he got to his feet.  
  
Simone appeared behind him, her tail swishing the knee-deep water, and easily dodged the punches he threw at her. She slashed him with her claws at least three times before throwing him into a wall, holding him up by his neck.  
  
Niklaus hissed at her and grabbed her throat, digging his fingers into her tougher skin. He tore himself out of her grip and threw her into a stone pillar.  
  
Simone crashed face-first into the pillar and fell to the floor. She got up just as Niklaus picked up his sword where he'd dropped it.  
  
Sonia moved to get up, her eyes unfocused in thought. She looked up sharply as she felt someone touch her arm, her eyes widening slightly when she saw Erik.  
  
Erik helped Sonia to her feet and smiled reassuringly at her. He gently ran the back of his hand along her smooth, pale cheek, fixing his ice blue eyes on hers.  
  
"Erik," Sonia breathed. "Niklaus killed my family… We have to help Simone…" She nodded in the direction of the fight and looked back at Erik.  
  
Erik glanced over his shoulder at the fight, and his eyes widened slightly when he saw Simone. He released Sonia and walked over to the wall, knowing she was right behind him.  
  
Simone dodged Niklaus' sword as he swung at her and got behind him. She slashed at him when he turned around and watched him fall to his knees.  
  
Niklaus stood up quickly and socked her in the gut. He didn't waste any time in nailing her two more times. He caught her arm when she swung at him before chopping her collarbone and throwing her back into the pool of water.  
  
David watched Simone struggling to get back up from his place on the other side of the room and charged Niklaus, snarling in rage. He punched the Elder in the face and moved to help Simone up.  
  
Niklaus quickly recovered from the blow and grabbed David by his neck. He threw the lycan across the room and turned back to Simone, who was on her feet. He caught her arm in one hand and her throat in the other. Releasing her neck, he punched her in the chin, throwing her about fifteen feet away, and turned to the stairs to see three Death Dealers come down the steps.  
  
Simone slowly got to her feet and turned her attention on the Dealers. She snarled at them as they opened fire on her. She fell backwards into the water as three silver bullets imbedded themselves in her torso. She quickly got up again and moved to get away from the bullets that never stopped coming.  
  
Sonia landed nimbly on her feet and walked up to the middle Dealer. She kicked him in the back of the knee and snapped his neck effortlessly, letting his body drop. She turned to her right and slammed her hand into the second Dealer's chest, sending him flying face-first into the cement.  
  
The last vampire was coming up on her left, and she whirled around to take him on, grabbing his arm as it swung at her. She chopped him in the chest and then slammed her palm into his jaw, looking over at where Simone was hiding behind a broken stone pillar as he fell. She took a steadying breath before running towards her sister.  
  
Suddenly, Niklaus backhanded her, and blood burst from the gash in her forehead as she landed hard in a pile of rubble.  
  
Simone snarled in fury and ran to her twin's aid, only to be tackled by Niklaus.  
  
Sonia sat up and looked over at Simone and Niklaus just in time to see the Elder put her twin in a stranglehold before her icy blue eyes landed on Niklaus' sword laying a few feet away from her.  
  
Simone tried futilely to get Niklaus to let go but only succeeded in getting him to hold on to her tighter.  
  
"Time to die," Niklaus told her, clamping down even tighter yet.  
  
Sonia had made up her mind and was just about to grab the sword when-  
  
Erik snatched the blade from the rubble and ran at Niklaus.  
  
Niklaus let Simone go and turned around just as he heard Erik come up behind him. He grunted in pain and looked down at the blade sticking out of his chest.  
  
Erik watched him cough up a little blood and smirked at him. In one smooth motion, he jerked the sword from Niklaus' chest and sliced his head off, watching with a stony face as the body and head fell into the water. "You've finally paid for your crimes," he muttered, dropping the sword on Niklaus' back.  
  
David scrambled over to them, holding his head in one hand, and dashed to Simone's side to help her up. He held her back to his chest and wrapped his arms around her waist, looking up as Sonia approached.  
  
Erik went to Sonia's side and slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him and kissing her right temple gently.  
  
They all looked back at Simone, and their eyes widened slightly when they saw that she was back in her "human" form.  
  
Simone glanced up into the upper rooms and smiled weakly as she saw the lycans backing away into the shadows. She turned her smile up at David and let him lead her away.  
  
"Simone!" Sonia called, jogging up to her sister. She unclasped the onyx snake pendant from her neck and pressed it into her twin's hand. "To remember me…"  
  
Simone smiled gratefully at Sonia and clutched the necklace tightly. "I'll miss you…" she told her, leaning her head back on David's shoulder.  
  
David smiled at Sonia and nodded once to Erik before scooping Simone up into his arms and walking away.  
  
Sonia stood in the doorway to the throne room, watching as Erik broke the news of Niklaus' death to Sacha and Amelia.  
  
Amelia immediately slapped her brother across the cheek, leaving a red hand mark, before she burst into tears and buried her face in his shoulder.  
  
Erik lowered her to the floor and caught Sacha as she threw herself at him, hugging them both tightly as they sobbed.  
  
Sonia turned around and walked away from the throne room to give them some privacy. Though I cannot predict the future, I know that the consequences of this night will reverberate through the halls of both great Covens for many years to come, she thought, ignoring the vampires that she passed. Two immortal leaders have been slain. One of whom I thought of as a father… Soon, Amelia will reclaim the throne, and a tide of anger and vengeance will spill out into the night… Differences will be set aside… Allegiances will be made… And soon…  
  
I will become the hunted, Simone finished, her eyes turning navy blue. 


	3. The American Coven

"The war had all but ground to a halt in the blink of an eye… Lukacs, the most odious and savage leader ever to rule the lycan clan had finally been killed. The lycan hordes scattered to the wind in a single evening of flame and vengeance."  
  
A flash of lightning revealed a pair of leather-clad figures perched atop a building. One was male, the other female, and both were vampires, Death Dealers.  
  
"Victory, it seemed, was in our grasp… the very birthright of the vampires. Nearly half a century had passed since that night. Yet the age-old blood feud proved resistant to follow Lukacs to the grave."  
  
Another flash of lightning gave us a better view of the vampires.  
  
The male, Kale, stood on the edge of the roof, watching the street beneath them. His wet, brown hair stuck to his forehead and hung limp around his face from the rain. His hazel eyes were fixed on the street below and held a slight amusement to them.  
  
Beside him, the female, Alyth, sat on the edge of the roof with her legs dangling over the side. She had long, wavy, sandy blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail. Her sky blue eyes sparkled in amusement as she watched her mate and the street below them.  
  
"Though lycans were fewer in number, the war itself had become more dangerous… for the moon no longer held her sway. Older, more powerful lycans were now able to shift at will.  
  
"The weapons had evolved, but our orders stayed the same: track them down, and kill them off, one by one."  
  
Alyth met Kale's gaze as they both spotted their targets, and she smirked. She stood up and took out her guns, ready to shoot down the wolves.  
  
Kale nodded once to her and began firing at the trio of lycans, Alyth joining him.  
  
They struck all three lycans once before the beasts returned fire. The pair of Dealers continued to shoot at them until every lycan lay dead on the ground.  
  
"A most successful operation… Perhaps too successful."  
  
Alyth and Kale stepped off the roof and landed lightly on their feet in the alley ten yards below. They strode up to the dead lycans, and Kale bent down to examine them.  
  
"For those like me, a Death Dealer, this signaled the end of an age. Like the weapons of the previous millennia, we too would become outmoded… Pity, because I lived for it."  
  
Three vampires sat around a table in an ornate meeting room. All three were male and high up in vampire society.  
  
The youngest of the three was a scrawny vampire from Mexico named Eduardo. His black hair was greasy and slicked back, and his dark brown eyes quietly took in everything. He was dressed in a dark-colored zoot suit that gave the impression of class.  
  
Felix, the vampire seated across from him, was about a century older than Eduardo. He was the head Death Dealer and was wearing the black leather suit that marked them. His short hair was black and gelled up into spikes. His green eyes shone in amusement that he hid well.  
  
The last vampire was one of the three American Elders. His name was Christopher, and he was almost six hundred years old. His long, hazelnut-colored hair was pulled back in a low ponytail with a black tie. His naturally blue eyes were, at the moment, the feral ice blue that marked a vampire. "Eduardo, when will the Council arrive for the ceremony?" he asked, fixing his cold eyes on the Mexican.  
  
"The Council is scheduled to arrive here in just three days time, my Lord," Eduardo answered, looking down at the palm pilot he held in his hand to make sure. "Yes, my Lord will be able to rest again in three days."  
  
"Excellent," Christopher replied, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.  
  
Felix watched the Elder out of the corner of his eye before looking over at the doors as he heard someone approaching.  
  
Christopher stood up as the doors opened and smiled at the young vampiress that entered the meeting room.  
  
She was relatively tall and slender, the tight sundress she was wearing accenting her curves and pale skin well. She had wavy, shoulder-length flame-red hair and soft china-blue eyes. She walked straight up to Christopher and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Hi, Daddy," she greeted, smiling at him.  
  
"Hello, Liane," Christopher replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "What brings you here, my child?"  
  
"I just came to tell you that I'm going to go out for a little while," she answered, trying to sound sweet and innocent.  
  
"Not tonight, little one," Christopher told her, letting her go and taking a seat.  
  
"But Daddy…" Liane protested, putting her hands on her hips. "Why not?"  
  
"Because it's getting early, and there are no more Dealers left, except Felix, to accompany you," he said, keeping his eyes averted.  
  
"Daddy, I don't need a bodyguard," she argued, glaring at him. "I'm three hundred years old for crying out loud."  
  
"You're not going out tonight," he continued, getting angry.  
  
"But-"  
  
Christopher slammed his hands down on the table and stood up abruptly. "That's final!" he snapped, cutting her off. He met her eyes and watched her leave before sitting down again.  
  
Felix and Eduardo looked at each other and shrugged slightly, turning back to Christopher.  
  
"Hey, Dave," a young American lycan called, knocking lightly on the door.  
  
"What is it, Jacob?" came David's slightly irritated, muffled reply.  
  
"Lu wants to see you," Jacob answered.  
  
"Okay. I'll be down in a minute," David sighed, listening until Jacob left. He settled back down behind Simone and draped his arm across her waist. He nuzzled her neck and snuggled closer to her.  
  
Simone smiled slightly, knowing he wasn't ready to leave yet, and cuddled up to him.  
  
"I'll be back soon," David whispered into her ear, kissing her neck gently. He released her waist and slipped out of bed. He grabbed a shirt, threw it on, and moved to button it up. He stopped when Simone's perpetually cold hands took hold of the bottom button, and he watched as she quickly buttoned up his shirt.  
  
Her hands hovered undecidedly above the top button a moment before she dropped them to her sides and turned to leave.  
  
David caught her hand in his and squeezed it gently. He led her out of the room and down the hall to the meeting room. He opened the door and walked in with Simone right behind him. "Lucas," he greeted, smiling at the lycan in the back of the room.  
  
Lucas, the alpha male, turned around to face the pair and smiled warmly at them. He'd had a hunch that the male hybrid would bring Simone with him. He had short, curly brown hair and gentle, caramel-colored eyes, and his face was smooth with no hair. He was wearing a pair of worn, old blue jeans and a faded Beatles t-shirt. "Hello, David," he replied, gesturing to the chairs beside him.  
  
David and Simone sat down beside each other on the left side of the table.  
  
Lucas shook his head wistfully at them and took his seat at the head of the table.  
  
Next Night…  
  
David sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands while Simone dressed.  
  
"Where's my coat?" Simone wondered, looking around for it. "David, have you seen my coat?" She turned to him with her hands on her hips, dropping them to her sides when she saw him. "David… Are you all right?" She walked over to him and sat down on the bed beside him, touching his shoulder gently. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Why did you volunteer to go to the vampire mansion?" David demanded, looking up at her sharply. "Why couldn't you have let someone else go?"  
  
"David, I'm the only one that is capable of going to the mansion without being killed on sight," Simone answered, looking away from him.  
  
"Why couldn't you have let me go?" David asked, hanging his head again.  
  
"Because you don't have enough vampire blood in you to mask the lycan," Simone replied, placing her hand over his. "Besides, you act too much like a lycan to pass for a vampire."  
  
David let a cynical chuckle escape and looked over at Simone, a slight smile on his face. He leaned over to kiss her and looked up sharply as he heard the floor creak.  
  
Simone smiled and got up. She walked over to the open doorway, blocking David's view, and came back a moment later with a little girl settled on her hip. She sat back down on the bed and moved the girl to her lap.  
  
The little girl rubbed her ocean blue eyes sleepily and yawned, leaning against Simone's shoulder.  
  
"Did you have a good sleep, Lily?" Simone asked, smiling down at her.  
  
Lily nodded and returned Simone's smile.  
  
"Morning, Lily," David greeted, meeting the five-year-old's eyes.  
  
"Good morning, Daddy," Lily replied, smiling at David. Her sweet little voice was light and carried the same soft English accent that Simone's did. She held his gaze for a moment before turning away and burying her face in Simone's neck.  
  
Simone kissed her forehead lightly and stroked her soft, black hair affectionately.  
  
"Hey, Lily," David called, seeing a flash of impatience in Simone's eyes. "Let's leave Mommy alone, so she can finish getting ready." He picked up the girl and settled her in his lap, smiling slightly at her whimper as she was removed from her mother's arms.  
  
Simone flashed David a grateful smile before resuming the search for her coat.  
  
Christopher stormed through the mansion and stopped in the training area. He walked over to the firing range where Alyth was practicing and waited for her to straighten out of her bow before beginning. "Have you seen Liane?" he asked, angrily.  
  
Alyth's surprised look turned thoughtful momentarily before she shook her head. "I haven't seen her since dusk fell," she told him, truthfully. "Has she gone missing again?"  
  
"It would certainly appear that way, wouldn't it?" Christopher snapped. "I can't seem to find her anywhere. Do you have any idea where she could be?"  
  
"No," Alyth replied, shaking her head. "I wouldn't know. She doesn't tell me anything anymore."  
  
"Thank you for your help anyway," Christopher said, flatly. He nodded once to her and left the room.  
  
Simone and David stood in the main hall waiting for Lucas and Jacob.  
  
Simone balanced Lily on her hip and held her small bag on her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder as she heard someone enter the room. She turned around to face Lucas and bowed her head in respect, seeing David do the same beside her.   
  
"Are you ready to go, Simone?" Lucas asked when they looked up.  
  
"I am," Simone agreed, setting Lily on her feet. She smiled at her and rested her hands on her thin shoulders.  
  
"Are you leaving, Mommy?" Lily asked, tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"Yes," Simone answered, smiling sadly at her daughter. "But I'll come visit you as soon as I can. Okay?"  
  
Lily sniffled and nodded, smiling at Simone.  
  
Simone hugged Lily tightly and kissed her cheek. "You be good for Daddy while I'm gone," she ordered, releasing the little girl.  
  
"I will," Lily replied, smiling weakly.  
  
Simone tenderly brushed the soft, black hair out of her face and kissed her forehead, standing up. She smiled at David, gave him a quick kiss, and walked over to Lucas, her eyes widening when she finally noticed the young vampiress latched onto his arm.  
  
"Liane will take you back to the mansion and help you get in," Lucas explained, seeing her look at the vampire beside him. "She's the daughter of the Elder, Christopher."  
  
"Oh," Simone said, looking back at Liane. She stared at her wide-eyed for a moment before snapping out of her daze. "I'm sorry. I'm Simone." She held out her hand and smiled at the redhead.  
  
Liane shook her hand politely and returned the smile. "I'm Liane," she told her. "It's nice to meet you."  
  
"Likewise," Simone replied, looking up as Jacob entered.  
  
"The Death Dealers are heading back to the mansion now, sir," Jacob explained, looking at Lucas.  
  
"Good," Lucas stated, smiling at Liane. He pulled her to him and kissed her gently. He pulled away a moment later and nodded to Simone. "You two better get going before the sun starts to rise."  
  
Liane nodded in agreement and turned to Simone. "Let's go," she urged, cheerfully.  
  
Simone nodded and quickly fell into stride beside her. "Bye, everyone," she called, waving to the people behind her.  
  
"Bye, Mommy," Lily whimpered, waving slowly with one hand.  
  
Liane parked her jaguar in the garage outside the mansion and got out.  
  
Simone climbed out after her and stared wide-eyed at the mansion. She looked over at Liane sharply as the redhead spoke up.  
  
"I know it's nothing compared to what you're used to back at Hus av Dod, but it's home," Liane explained, smiling at Simone. "Come on." She nodded to Simone and went inside, waiting for the other "vampiress" to join her.  
  
Simone took a deep breath and followed Liane into the mansion.  
  
They stopped in the main hall, and Liane turned to Simone, smiling brightly. "This is the mai-"  
  
"Liane!" Alyth interrupted, rushing down the stairs. She stopped in front of them and fixed Liane with a cool glare. "I've been looking for you everywhere. Your father is furious."  
  
"Yes, I know," Liane agreed, smiling at Alyth. "Don't worry about me though, Alyth. I know what I'm doing."  
  
"Oh, you do, do you?" Christopher asked, appearing at the top of the stairs.  
  
The three females looked up at him sharply and watched as he descended the stairs to stop in front of them.  
  
Simone sensed the power coming from him and deduced that he was the reigning American Elder. She dropped to one knee as she'd seen the vampires do in Hus av Dod, and she saw Alyth bow slightly above her.  
  
Christopher watched her show her respect with curiosity, momentarily forgetting his daughter. He'd never seen a vampire drop to one knee for him before. "Liane, who is this?" he asked, watching Simone stand.  
  
"This is Simone," Liane answered, smiling at Simone. "She saved me from lycans tonight, Daddy."  
  
"She did?" Christopher wondered, slightly surprised. He found it strangely hard to believe that such a slender, frail-looking young vampire had saved his daughter from lycans.  
  
"Yes, Daddy," Liane agreed. "She was a Death Dealer back in Budapest."  
  
"You're from Budapest?!" Christopher exclaimed, shocked.  
  
"I am," Simone replied, nodding slightly to him. She lowered her head to hide the flash of navy blue that had flickered across her eyes. "I left after the hybrid was created. My… mate was worried about my safety, so we came here."  
  
"And where is your mate now?" Christopher wondered, suddenly suspicious. He could have sworn he'd caught a whiff of lycan on her a moment ago.  
  
"He's dead," Simone answered, keeping her gaze on her feet. "We were attacked by lycans on our way home a few months ago. They just… leapt out of the woods into the middle of the road. He… tried to swerve out of the way… but the rain on the road threw the car… He pushed me out of the side door… but he… he didn't make it… The explosion killed all of the lycans that had been in the road…" She let a tear fall from her eye and lifted her hand to wipe her eyes dry.  
  
"I apologize for making you tell that story," Christopher said, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. He met her tear-streaked eyes when she looked up at him, and he smiled slightly at her. "I, too, know what it's like to lose a mate."  
  
Simone smiled weakly at him and blinked the rest of her tears away. "I've been trying to find this place ever since he died," she explained. "Tonight, I saw Liane getting cornered by lycans, and I shot them down."  
  
"She asked me if I knew where this house was, and I was so relieved to be alive that I brought her back here without question," Liane added, smiling at Christopher. "You're not angry, are you?"  
  
"No, my daughter," Christopher answered, returning her smile. "We could use as many Death Dealers as we can get." He turned back to Simone before continuing. "You don't mind being a Death Dealer here, do you?"  
  
"No, of course not," Simone replied, sounding excited. "I'd love nothing more."  
  
"Good," Christopher said, turning to the lounging vampires behind him. "Jessica, will you show Simone to her rooms?"  
  
A young vampiress with shoulder-length blonde hair stepped forward, and she looked at Simone, curiosity shining in her green eyes. "Of course, my Lord," she agreed, bowing to Christopher. "Follow me, miss." She headed toward the stairs and turned to see if Simone was following her.  
  
"I'll be up later to get you for dinner," Liane said, smiling at Simone.  
  
"Okay," Simone replied, returning the smile. She turned away from Liane and hurried over to where Jessica stood on the stairs. She smiled at the young vampire and followed her up the stairs to her new rooms.  
  
David, Lucas, and Jacob sat in a truck just outside the gates of the vampire mansion. They had followed Liane and Simone just to make sure everything went as planned. They'd seen the pair go into the house and were simple waiting for the fighting to break out.  
  
"Do you think she made it in?" David asked, looking over at Lucas.  
  
"She probably did," Lucas answered, smiling at the male hybrid. "Liane has quite a bit of power over her father. She'll get her in just fine."  
  
David nodded slightly and looked away again.  
  
"Don't worry, my friend," Lucas said, laying a reassuring hand on David's shoulder. "She's strong and very clever. She'll be fine."  
  
"Yeah," David agreed, nodding once and smiling slightly at Lucas.  
  
"Let's get out of here," Lucas suggested, turning to Jacob.  
  
Jacob nodded and drove away.  
  
Next Night…  
  
Mael strode into the throne room with a dark-haired vampiress right behind him. They both dropped to one knee in respect and stood up to face the Elders a moment later.  
  
"You sent for me, my Lady?" Mael asked, looking up at Amelia.  
  
"Yes," Amelia agreed, standing up from her throne. "Mael, I would like to know if you have any new information on the hybrids."  
  
"I have none, my Lady," Mael answered, hanging his head in shame. "I apologize."  
  
"It's quite all right, Mael," Amelia replied, walking up to the pair. Her blue-gray eyes were sad, and her voice was flat and emotionless. "I want you to check every Coven and den in the continent. Do whatever it takes to find them."  
  
"Yes, my Lady," Mael agreed, nodding to her.  
  
"You're dismissed," Amelia told him, watching him leave before turning to the vampiress. She smiled gently at the girl and reached out to hug her. She pulled away a moment later, holding the girl by her elbows, and fixed her eyes on the younger vampire's. "Sacha."  
  
"Mother," Sacha replied, smiling warmly at Amelia. She glanced over her mother's shoulder and smiled at Erik and Sonia before turning her attention back on Amelia. "I just came to tell you that Mael is going to take me on my first reconnaissance mission tonight. Isn't that great?!"  
  
"That's wonderful, Sacha," Amelia agreed, forcing herself to smile at her daughter. "You'll be careful, won't you?"  
  
"I'll be as careful as I can possibly be," Sacha answered, smiling reassuringly at her mother. "I promise. You don't have to worry about me, Mother."  
  
"I know," Amelia said. "You're strong, and you were trained well. You'll do just fine tonight."  
  
Sacha smiled brightly at Amelia and hugged her again. She looked over her mother's shoulder again at Erik and Sonia and smiled. "Rudolf is still asleep," she told them. "I checked on him before I came down here."  
  
"Thank you, Sacha," Sonia replied, smiling at the younger vampire. She knew that Sacha adored Rudolf, and she treated him like a little brother even though he was only her cousin. In truth, her five-year-old son had grown on everyone in the mansion.  
  
"I'll see you later tonight then, Sonia," Sacha said, turning to leave the room.  
  
"Yeah," Sonia agreed, smiling at the girl she treated as a sister. "Your mother would kill me if I didn't go tonight and look after you." She grinned at the glare Amelia shot her, and Erik chuckled lightly beside her.  
  
Sacha smiled brightly at the joke and hurried out of the throne room to get ready for her first reconnaissance mission.  
  
Simone sat on the roof of the mansion with her legs dangling over the edge and watched the guards patrol the grounds below her. She didn't even look up as she heard Liane come out onto the roof and sit down beside her.  
  
"Simone, I don't mean to pry, but I can't help asking," Liane spoke up, fixing her pale blue eyes on the ground.  
  
"What did you want to know?" Simone asked, glancing over at the red-haired vampiress.  
  
"Well, who was that man at the lycan den that you were with?" Liane wondered, peering up at Simone cautiously. She could sense the power coming from the other "vampiress," and she had no desire to provoke her.  
  
"That was David," Simone answered, simply.  
  
"Oh," Liane replied.  
  
Silence fell between them.  
  
Simone broke it with a sigh. "He's my mate, just like Lucas is yours," she explained, smiling as the redhead flushed in embarrassment.  
  
"If he's your mate, then what was that story you told my father? Why would you lie to him?"   
  
"David's… not like you and me… Your father would have killed me on the spot if he knew that my mate was alive and not entirely a vampire."  
  
"David's the hybrid everyone's been looking for!"  
  
"Shhh…"  
  
"Sorry. That just came as a bit of a surprise to me… So, he really is the hybrid everyone's looking for?"  
  
"Yes… He is. But you can't tell anyone."  
  
"I won't."  
  
"You promise?"  
  
"I promise." Liane looked around quickly and motioned for Simone to come closer. "I've got a secret for you too."  
  
Simone listened closely as she whispered her secret into her ear, and her eyes widened in shock at what she'd said. 


	4. Liane, Condemned To Death

Simone sat in her new rooms simply admiring them.  
  
Her rooms were simple in their design and dark, quite typical for vampires. The main room, where she sat on a couch, was rather spacious and comfortable. The walls were painted a dark, blood red color while the carpet was a deep, rich brown. Near the wooden double doors stood a black-stained dresser, and the black antique-style couch where she sat rested a few feet from it. Against one wall beside the window was a plain, oaken bookshelf. There were a few books on it, several on vampires and warfare but most were fiction. Settled a few feet in front of the bookshelf was a desk with a laptop and her guns on it.   
  
The opposite wall sported a second set of double doors that led to the bedroom, which consisted only of a queen-sized canopy bed, a closet, and a door that led to the bathroom. The canopy bed had a thick, ebony comforter with clean, silver sheets. The pillows were the same silver as the sheets, while the canopy and bedposts were a rich gold color.  
  
Simone smiled and stood up, going over to the bookshelf. She read the bindings of each book and pulled out one of the fictions called Salem's Lot. She skimmed over the back synopsis as she walked back to the couch and sat down. She opened the book and started to read. She'd gotten about twenty pages into it when the doors to her rooms burst open, and she glanced up to see Liane. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" she asked, sarcastically, returning to her reading.  
  
"Haven't you heard me calling for you?" Liane wondered, blatantly ignoring Simone's question.  
  
"No," Simone replied, turning the page as she finished reading it. "I've been in here reading for the last hour."  
  
"Well, I've been calling you for at least five minutes," Liane told her, walking over to her. "Felix wants to see you."  
  
"Who's Felix?" Simone asked, keeping her eyes on her book.  
  
"He's the head Death Dealer around here," Liane answered. "He wants to check you out, I think."  
  
"Ah," Simone replied, simply. She quickly finished her paragraph, dog-eared the page she'd stopped on, and set her book down on the couch. She smiled at Liane and stood up. "Lead the way." She gestured to the doors and waited for Liane.  
  
"Okay," Liane agreed, standing up beside her. She led Simone down the stairs and through the main hall to the back room where they kept their weapons. "Felix."  
  
Felix spun around in his chair with a sniper rifle in his hands and smiled at the girls. He stood up and set the gun down on the desk in front of him. "Hello, Liane," he greeted, nodding to her. He looked over at Simone and held out his hand to her. "And you must be the new girl. I'm Felix."  
  
Simone shook his hand politely and smiled at him. "Simone," she told him, releasing his hand.  
  
"You're strong," Felix said, nodding to himself. "That's good." He walked around his desk and past the girls, motioning for Simone to follow him. "Liane, thank you for bringing her to me. You may go about your business now. I'll look after her."  
  
"Okay," Liane replied, slowly. She turned away from them and left the room.  
  
Felix watched her go before turning to Simone, smiling slyly at her. "Follow me," he ordered. "I think it's about time we see what you can do."  
  
Simone nodded and followed him without hesitation.  
  
Erik and Amelia stood side by side in the main hall patiently awaiting the arrival of the Death Dealers.  
  
Beside Erik was a little boy holding a battered teddy bear tightly to his little chest. He had short, light brown hair and bright blue-green eyes. His little nose was dotted with a few faint freckles, and his small, white fangs were quite sharp. He held Erik's hand loosely in his smaller one and clutched his bear tight, worried for his mother's safety.  
  
A moment later, the front doors burst open, and the Death Dealers strode in, Mael and Sonia in the lead. None of them had been injured on the reconnaissance mission; they had gotten lucky this time.  
  
"Mommy!" the little boy called, rushing forward the second he saw Sonia. He wrapped his little arms around her legs and hugged her tightly, burying his face in the tight leather pants.  
  
Sonia smiled down at him and tenderly stroked his soft hair, watching Erik pick up the teddy bear he'd dropped.   
  
"You're okay," the boy whimpered, looking up at her.  
  
"Yes, Rudolf," Sonia agreed, kneeling down to his eye level. "I'm fine." She tenderly wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled warmly at him.  
  
Rudolf sighed in relief and wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging her tightly.  
  
Sonia returned the embrace and kissed his cheek gently.  
  
"Hey, Rudolf," a soft, lilting voice cooed from behind them.  
  
Rudolf looked up from his place Sonia's arms and smiled at Sacha when he saw her. He broke away from his mother and ran over to his cousin. "Sacha!" he cried, happily as she lifted him off the ground.  
  
Sonia stood up and smiled at the two as they hugged. She half-listened to Rudolf's incessant babbles about his day and nearly jumped out of her skin when Erik's arm slipped around her waist. She looked over her shoulder at him and returned his warm smile.  
  
"Did you find out anything useful?" Erik asked, turning his gaze back on his niece and son.  
  
"Well, we did catch a lycan," Sacha answered, hearing his question. She set Rudolf on his feet and watched him go back to Sonia. She looked over at Amelia as she stopped beside Sonia before continuing. "He didn't tell us much… But we did get a clue as to where the hybrids may have gone."  
  
"What might that be?" Amelia asked.  
  
"He said that they were probably on the other side of the world by now," Sacha replied, smiling at her mother. "So, I'm guessing that they're in the Americas somewhere."  
  
"The Americas?" Amelia repeated, thoughtfully.  
  
Sacha nodded in agreement and brushed a black ringlet out of her face.  
  
Felix led Simone back to the weapons room and turned to her, smiling pleasantly. "You did well today," he told her. "I must say that I was quite impressed with your skill… How old did you say you were?"  
  
"Oh, I'm about…" She paused in thought and counted off a few decades on her fingers. "Two hundred and eighty. I think."  
  
"You're relatively young then too," Felix replied, tapping his chin thoughtfully. He shook his head to clear his mind and looked back at her. "How would you like to go on the lycan hunt with us tonight?"  
  
"That'd be great," Simone agreed, smiling at him. "I don't have a suit though. Mine was ruined in a recent battle."  
  
"That's no problem," Felix replied, waving her silent. "We've got plenty of extra suits that'll fit you. We'll have Alyth help you find one."  
  
"Okay," Simone said, nodding in agreement.   
  
Felix brushed past her and went to the doors. "Jessica!" he called.  
  
A moment later, Jessica appeared in the doorway. She met Simone's eyes briefly before turning her gaze on Felix.  
  
"Will you go get Alyth for me?" Felix asked.  
  
Jessica nodded and scampered off to find the blonde Death Dealer.  
  
Lily screamed at the top of her voice and bolted upright in her bed. She looked around quickly to find that she was in her room and buried her face in her hands, sobbing.  
  
David was at her side a moment later, having been awakened by her shriek. He sat down beside her on her bed and pulled her into his arms, hugging her gently. He kissed the top of her head lightly and tenderly stroked her hair, rocking back and forth with her to calm her down.  
  
After a few minutes, Lily sobs dwindled to slight whimpers and sniffles, and she looked up at David.  
  
"Lily, sweetheart, what happened?" he asked, tenderly.  
  
"I had that dream again," Lily whimpered, burying her face in her father's shirt. "The one with the sun and the lady, the one where she burns."  
  
"There's no need to be afraid, little one." David wished Simone were here now, not off at the vampire mansion. She could always somehow manage to chase the nightmares away, both from him and their daughter. He rested his cheek on the top of Lily's head, kissing her softly. "It was all just a bad dream."  
  
"But it… it seemed really real, Daddy." The little girl clung to him, new tears spilling from her eyes as she remembered her dream.  
  
"Lily, honey, don't cry anymore. It's not real. It's all right. You're safe," David whispered to her.  
  
"Why do I have these nightmares, Daddy? Why won't they go away?" Lily asked.  
  
"I don't know, sweetie." It was the truth. Neither he nor Simone knew what the dreams that tortured their child meant, and it haunted them every day that they didn't know how to help her. "They'll leave soon. I know it."  
  
"You think so?" the little girl asked, her eyes fluttering.  
  
"Yes." David smiled down at her. "Why don't you sleep now, little one? The dreams will not return."  
  
"You promise?" she asked, softly, slowly drifting off in the comfort of her father's arms.  
  
"Yes. Now sleep." David wiped the tears from her face as she slept. He watched her sleep, his daughter, Simone's daughter, and he smiled at her. He laid her back down in her bed and tucked her in. He kissed her forehead and brushed the soft, black hair out of her face before returning to his own bed to get some sleep.  
  
Simone stood on the roof of a building overlooking a busy city street, Kale, Alyth, and Felix right beside her. She took a deep, shaky breath to prepare herself for what she had to do and fixed her eyes on the street below.  
  
A few minutes later, their targets appeared on the sidewalk amongst the throngs of humans.  
  
Felix stood up from his crouch and nodded to the others. He casually stepped off the roof and landed lightly on his feet in the alley twenty feet below, Kale and Alyth immediately following him. He looked up at the roof and met Simone's eyes. His gaze hardened briefly, indicating his impatience.  
  
Simone sighed and stepped off the roof. She was careful not to use her hands to help her balance when she landed, and she straightened immediately, smiling at her partners.  
  
Felix returned her smile and motioned for them to follow him. He strode out onto the sidewalk and fell in about fifteen feet behind the lycans.  
  
The Death Dealers followed the lycans until they came to a more deserted street on the other side of town. Once there, they pulled out their guns and opened fire on the pair of werewolves.   
  
The lycans didn't have the time to retaliate with return fire. One of them got hit in the shoulder and went down. The other got hit in the leg and limped off to a nearby alleyway to get away from the vampires.  
  
Alyth and Kale were about to chase him when Felix stopped them. "Let him go," he ordered, fixing his eyes on the writhing lycan at his feet. "We have what we came for."  
  
Simone's lower lip trembled slightly as she looked down the barrel of her Beretta at her comrades and the lycan. Thankfully, she didn't recognize either of them, but she was still appalled that she had shot down one of her own. Slowly, she lowered the pistol to her side and put it gently back in the holster at her thigh. She took a deep breath as she watched Kale grab a fistful of the lycan's coat.  
  
Kale wordlessly dragged the lycan down to the end of the street and into a run-down apartment complex. He took the werewolf upstairs and rudely tossed him into a metal chair. He went to the opposite wall and leaned against it casually as Felix came in with the girls.  
  
Alyth shut the doors behind her as she came in.  
  
Sonia and Erik stood in the throne room waiting for Amelia and Sacha.  
  
Sonia balanced Rudolf on her hip and rested her cheek on the top of his head. She looked over her shoulder as she heard someone enter the room. She turned around to face Amelia and smiled warmly at the Elder.   
  
"Are you ready to go?" Amelia asked, returning Sonia's smile.  
  
"Yes," Erik agreed, nodding to his sister. He slipped his arm around Sonia's waist and ruffled Rudolf's light brown hair affectionately. "We're just waiting for Sacha."  
  
Amelia nodded in agreement and turned to the doors to watch for her daughter.  
  
About five minutes passed before Sacha entered the room. She was dressed in a gold bikini-like top and a low-riding white skirt with gold trim, exposing her midriff. The silver bands around her upper arms sported two white sleeve-like cloths that reached her knees, and she now wore a pair of ornately carved Celtic bangles on her wrists. A silver necklace with an ebony stone pendant hung around her neck, and her hair was tied up with a gold band in high ponytail. She looked almost exactly like Amelia in that outfit. She smiled at them and spun around once before facing them again. "What do you think?" she asked, curiously.  
  
"You look more and more like your mother every day," Erik commented, smiling at her.  
  
Sacha giggled slightly at that and flushed a little in embarrassment. She returned his smile and looked at her mother. "Are we ready, Mother?" she wondered.  
  
Amelia shook herself out of her reverie and met her daughter's gaze. "We are now," she answered, smiling at her. She really does look like me in that outfit, she thought.  
  
"Okay," Sacha replied, returning the smile. "Then let's go." She turned around and walked out, the others following her. Once outside in the courtyard, she latched onto her mother's arm and rested her head on her shoulder. "Have you ever been to America, Mother?"  
  
"No, I haven't," Amelia answered, leading her out to the car. She waited for the driver to open the door for them before sliding in with Sacha right behind her.  
  
They settled in on one side and waited patiently for Erik and Sonia to take the seats across from them.  
  
Sonia moved Rudolf from her hip to the seat between her and Erik and buckled him in. She kissed his forehead gently and brushed the hair out of his face.  
  
The driver slid into the front seat and started the engine. He put the car in drive and headed for the airport.  
  
By the time they reached the airport, Rudolf was sound asleep, and his head rested against Sonia's shoulder. He whimpered in protest when Erik lifted him from the car and carried him into the airport.  
  
The five vampires walked to the gate where their plane was to take off, and they sat down in the darkest corner of the gate.  
  
"This is the call for first class Flight 7952 to New York," a flight attendant announced, getting the vampires' attention.  
  
They stood up and went to the open gateway. Amelia handed the flight attendant their tickets, and they boarded the plane.   
  
Sonia sat down in the second row on the right and set Rudolf down beside her. She closed the window and buckled him in, buckling herself in when she finished.   
  
Erik sat down in front of them and closed his window, buckling himself in.  
  
Amelia and Sacha took their seats behind Sonia and closed their window as well.  
  
About a half an hour later, the plane was airborne.  
  
Simone sat beside Felix in the front seat of his viper and stared blankly out the window. She was absolutely disgusted with herself over what she'd done.  
  
They'd taken the lycan to one of their safehouses and had interrogated him.  
  
He had been reluctant to answer, needless to say, and Kale had been forced to "persuade" him.  
  
Simone had been so horrified at what was happening that she had had to leave the room, saying that she wasn't used to torturing lycans to get answers. She had leaned against the outside wall of the room, forcing herself to listen to the interrogation.  
  
They hadn't gotten any useful information from the lycan except that the lycans were getting ready to attack, so they had simply killed him and left.  
  
Simone took a deep, shaky breath and blinked away her tears. Lucky for her, she hadn't recognized the lycan by name, but she had seen him before in the lycan mansion. It still tore at her heart the way they had treated and killed him, and she wasn't sure she could take it again.   
  
She shook her head to clear her mind of those thoughts and focused on the passing scenery again, content to try to enjoy the ride back to the vampire mansion.  
  
Christopher paced the floor in the library, clearly agitated about something. He turned to the doors angrily when they opened. "Where are my Death Dealers?!" he demanded, storming up to the startled servant.  
  
"They are not back yet, my Lord," the servant replied, hanging his head in shame.  
  
"Then why have you disturbed me?!" Christopher asked, furious now.  
  
"I've come to inform you that the Lady Amelia and the Lord Erik have arrived from Budapest," the servant answered, finally daring to look up at the enraged Elder. "The Council is with them right now, my Lord."  
  
Christopher wordlessly brushed past the servant and hurried to the main hall. He stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw there.  
  
The seven American Council members were chatting with the European vampires as if they were old friends. The two younger females and the little boy with them were laughing cheerfully at a joke Ty, the Hawaiian Council member, had made, while Amelia and Erik had smug smiles on their faces.  
  
Christopher cleared his throat to get everyone's attention and smiled at the European vampires, noticing off-handedly how the little boy cowered closer to his mother. "Welcome, Amelia and Erik," he announced, approaching them. "It is truly wonderful to see the two of you again. May I ask where Niklaus is?"  
  
Amelia tensed visibly at the mention of her mate's name, and she hung her head to hide the tears that sprang to her eyes.  
  
Sacha put her arm around her mother's shoulders and hugged her gently. She looked up at Erik and nodded to Christopher.  
  
Erik took a deep breath and stepped away from Sonia and Rudolf up to Christopher. "He died almost fifty years ago," he said, his shoulders slumping.  
  
"Oh," Christopher replied, suddenly realizing his gaffe. He immediately bowed to Amelia and smiled sadly at her. "Please accept my sincerest apologies. I didn't know."  
  
Amelia looked up from the floor and forced herself to smile weakly at him. "It's all right," she told him, wiping the stray tears from her eyes. "I didn't expect you to know about his death. Our Covens lost contact with yours centuries ago."  
  
Christopher nodded in agreement and was just about to speak again when-  
  
"Daddy, who's here?" Liane asked, coming down the stairs. She stopped at the base of the stairs, her hand still on the banister, and fixed her confused eyes on Sonia. After a moment, she shook her head to clear her thoughts and walked up to her father's side, glancing at Sonia again.  
  
"These are the European Elders that I've told you about, my daughter," Christopher answered, smiling at her. "This is Amelia, Erik, and…"  
  
"Sacha, Sonia, and Rudolf," Erik finished, pointing to each person in turn.  
  
"I'm very pleased to meet all of you," Liane said, smiling at the new arrivals. "I'm Liane, Christopher's daughter."  
  
Sacha returned the smile and nodded to her approvingly.  
  
Amelia stepped out of Sacha's grasp and turned to face Liane. She carefully studied her face and discretely sniffed the air before turning to Christopher. "Your daughter is very rebellious, Christopher," she told him, stepping back to Sacha's side.  
  
"What makes you say that?" Christopher asked, not believing her.  
  
"She's lying to you," Amelia answered, simply.  
  
"About what?" Christopher wondered, getting angry with her accusations.  
  
"She's pregnant," Amelia replied, glancing at Liane.  
  
"Pregnant!" Christopher exclaimed, shocked.  
  
"How did you know that?" Liane asked, her eyes flashing blue in her anger. She hadn't wanted her father to know about it yet, and now this strange Elder had told him.  
  
"It's true?!" Christopher demanded, turning to Liane in shock.  
  
Liane met his gaze briefly before dropping her eyes to the floor in shame. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Daddy," she mumbled, knowing he'd heard her. "I just didn't think you'd approve. I-"  
  
"Why wouldn't I approve?" Christopher wondered, his anger diminishing slightly. "Who has done this to you, my daughter?"  
  
"A lycan," Amelia answered for the young vampiress, knowing she would never tell him the truth herself.  
  
Christopher looked up at Amelia sharply, and his face twisted in rage when Liane made no move to argue with her. "So, this is what you do when you "go out" at night," he deduced, grinding his fangs in anger.  
  
Liane nodded meekly and nervously awaited her punishment, daring a quick glance up at her father. She was sorry she had.   
  
Christopher's face was rapidly reddening, and his eyes were the ice blue that marked a vampire. His fangs could be seen grinding together through his slightly open lips, and his fists were clenching and unclenching in his rage. He was just about to blow up at his daughter when the doors burst open, and the Death Dealers appeared. He looked up at the Dealers and relaxed a little, relieved to see them. "You have good news, I hope," he growled.  
  
Felix opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Sonia.  
  
"Simone?!" Sonia exclaimed, shocked.  
  
"Sonia?!" Simone replied, meeting her twin's eyes.  
  
Amelia and Sacha turned around to look at the Death Dealers, vaguely recognizing the name.  
  
Amelia's eyes widened in surprise before turning blue and narrowing when she realized who was standing, wide-eyed, in the doorway. "YOU!!!" she yelled, furiously.  
  
The Death Dealers immediately backed away from Simone and stared at her in surprise.  
  
"What's going on?" Felix asked, turning to Simone. "You know them?"  
  
"Of course she knows us!" Amelia replied, her rage growing by leaps and bounds. "She's the hybrid who killed Niklaus!"  
  
"Hybrid!" Christopher exclaimed, stunned that he had been harboring a fugitive from the European Coven.  
  
"Yes," Amelia agreed, glancing at him briefly. "She's the one we've been hunting for the past fifty years."  
  
Christopher turned his blazing blue eyes on Simone and pursed his lips. "Seize her!" he ordered.  
  
Simone backed away as the Death Dealers closed in around her, and she growled threateningly at them, her eyes turning navy blue.  
  
"Stop her before she can make the change!" Amelia told them, noticing Simone's eyes change color.  
  
The Death Dealers leapt at her and tackled her to the floor.  
  
Simone tried to fight them off only to feel the prick of a needle in the side of her neck. She gasped in surprise and threw the Dealer that had injected her with some unknown substance away. She managed to toss two more Dealers off of her before the serum started to take affect. Her movements were getting slow and sluggish, and her vision was dancing.  
  
After a few minutes, she fell limp underneath the pair of Dealers still holding her.  
  
The Dealers hauled her to her feet and dragged her away towards the cells that were in the basement.  
  
"Take her too," Christopher ordered after a moment of thought, pointing to Liane.  
  
The Dealers nodded, and two more seized Liane's arms, following along behind their comrades to the cells.  
  
"But Daddy…" Liane protested, struggling against her captors. "Why? What did I do?"  
  
"You coupled with a mangy animal," Christopher answered, pointedly avoiding her eyes. He half-listened to her yells as she was taken away and met Amelia's eyes.  
  
"You did well," Amelia told him, her coldness returning. "Now, we just have to wait for their mates to come to their rescue."  
  
Christopher nodded and led the European vampires to their rooms.  
  
Erik wrapped his arm around Sonia's shoulders and kissed her right temple gently, smiling reassuringly at her when she looked up at him.  
  
Rudolf tugged on Sonia's hand and stared up at her with wide, innocent blue-green eyes. "Mommy, who was that?" he asked, curiously.  
  
"No one, Rudolf," Erik answered, ruffling the boy's light brown hair affectionately. "That was no one." 


	5. Peace At Last

"How could he do this to me?" Liane asked Simone, tears rolling down her cheeks. "What did I do to deserve this?"  
  
"You didn't do anything to deserve this," Simone answered, keeping her eyes fixed on the corridor. "He just doesn't understand."  
  
Liane looked up at the suddenly stoic hybrid and sniffed, wiping the tears from her face. "Simone, can I ask you something?" she wondered.  
  
Simone remained silent and still as a statue at the bars.  
  
"If you're the hybrid they're looking for, then why did you tell me that David was?" Liane asked, assuming that she didn't mind her questions.  
  
"I couldn't have told you the truth," Simone replied, shifting her weight slightly.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"To be brutally honest, I didn't trust you."  
  
"What?! Why don't you trust me?"  
  
"You are the daughter of an Elder… You didn't even have the courage to keep your own secret to yourself. I didn't think you'd be able to keep mine… You didn't ever stand up for yourself, and frankly… you seemed like a spoiled little princess to me."  
  
Liane made a sound like an "oh" and hung her head in shame.  
  
Simone looked over her shoulder at the redhead and smiled slightly at her, turning back to the bars. "But I trust you now."  
  
"You do?"  
  
Simone merely nodded and remained silent, indicating that she didn't want to talk anymore.  
  
After about ten minutes, the sound of footsteps could be heard, and Sonia appeared at the barred gate of the cell a moment later. She froze when she saw Simone and swallowed nervously. "Simone?" she called, meeting her twin's hard glare.  
  
"I do not want to see you," Simone told her, turning her back to Sonia.  
  
Sonia ignored her comment and stepped closer to the bars. "Simone, I just wanted to apologize for not sticking up for you back there," she said, hiding her eyes behind her hair. "I guess I was still recovering from the shock of seeing you here. To be honest, none of us expected finding you would be so easy."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry to have taken the thrill of the hunt from you all," Simone spat, sarcastically. "I know how exhilarating it is to chase down a helpless lycan."  
  
"Okay," Sonia replied, nodding slightly. "I deserved that… But did you truly believe that they wouldn't figure it out eventually?"  
  
"Oh, we knew that they would catch on after a while," Simone agreed, turning to face her twin sister. "But, we planned on getting me out before that happened."  
  
"We?"  
  
"Yes we." Simone smirked at her sister and rested her hands on her hips, meeting her eyes squarely. "Did you really think that I would simply stroll into the vampire mansion without a plan or back-up?"  
  
Sonia flushed slightly in embarrassment and looked down at her feet. "So, you've been with the lycans this whole time?"  
  
"Yes. They are more family to me than the vampires are, after all."  
  
Sonia smiled at Simone and nodded once in agreement. "Well, I'll see you later, Simone," she said, turning to leave.  
  
"Hey!" Simone called, smiling at her when she turned back around. "When I get out of here, I'll have to introduce you to my daughter."  
  
"Yeah," Sonia agreed, returning Simone's smile. "And you'll have to meet my son."  
  
Simone's smile brightened, and she watched Sonia go back up the stairs before turning back to Liane. "Okay, Liane. Here's the escape plan."  
  
David and Lucas stormed down the hallways to the main hall with a troop of lycans behind them. They stopped in the main hall and turned to the lycans.  
  
"Is everyone here absolutely certain that they want to risk their lives to come with us?" Lucas asked, concerned for his pack's safety.  
  
The lycans all nodded, and several muttered "yes."  
  
Lucas nodded once and smiled gratefully at them before turning to David. "Let's go, David," he said, smiling at the hybrid.  
  
David nodded in agreement and turned to the doors, opening them quickly. He was oblivious to the pair of innocent blue eyes that watched him as he did so.  
  
A little shadow scampered into the midst of the lycans, careful to stay hidden, and disappeared in the group.  
  
Christopher stood just outside the doors to the execution room and waited patiently for the two condemned immortals. He glanced over at the Elders who stood beside him before turning his attention on the hallway when he heard the sound of footsteps. He watched as a small group of Death Dealers dragged Liane and Simone past him into the execution room, and he followed them in.  
  
"She goes there," Felix ordered, pointing to Liane and then the post on the other side of the room. He watched two Dealers follow his commands before turning back to the remaining two. "Chain her down there." He pointed to the chains attached to the floor and watched the Death Dealers as they obeyed their orders.  
  
The four Death Dealers returned to Felix's side and nodded to him to let him know that their jobs had been completed.  
  
Felix nodded in response and motioned for them to take their places at the doors. "Everything is ready, my Lord," he said, turning to Christopher.  
  
Christopher looked down at Simone, who was experimentally tugging on her chains, and then up at Liane, who glared at him before nodding once to Felix. "You did well," he told him.  
  
Felix bowed his head slightly and walked past the Elder to take his place inside the front doors.  
  
Christopher fixed his eyes on his daughter's for a moment, half-noticing Amelia and Erik step up beside him, before turning around to face the Death Dealers. "Let's get this over with," he said, taking his place beside Felix.  
  
One of the Dealers nodded and went over to Simone's left side, stopping a few feet away from her.  
  
Simone didn't seem to notice him. She was busily toying with her restraints, trying to figure out just how much force it would take to break them. She was brought brutally back to reality when she felt the sting of a whip on her back. Her eyes flashed navy blue, but she forced the beast in her back down. I need to wait, she thought, the statement becoming a mantra in her head.  
  
Liane watched in horror as her friend took the brutal beating without flinching. Simone's back was drenched in blood, but the stubborn hybrid refused to cry out in the pain she was obviously suffering through.  
  
After about ten minutes of torture, screams could be heard coming from outside the execution room.  
  
Simone sighed in relief and finally allowed her eyes to change fully to the navy blue that indicated the change.  
  
All the vampires looked up, and the Elders and Death Dealers leapt away from the doors as they burst open.  
  
When the smoke dissipated, David, in full hybrid form, appeared with Lucas and the lycans close behind him, and he snarled at the vampires as they got to their feet.  
  
Lucas ignored the vampires and ran to Liane's side the moment he spotted her. He unchained her arms and caught her as she collapsed, her legs wobbling underneath her. He sat down on the floor with her and hugged her tightly, as if she would disappear if he ever let go.  
  
Liane returned the embrace and buried her face in his shirt, sobbing into his shoulder.  
  
Simone growled as she completely the change, and her eyes snapped open, her pupils dilating to almost pinpricks. She jerked her arms upward, and the chains around her wrists shattered into pieces. She quickly jumped to her feet and was at David's side in a flash. She moved to help him with the Death Dealers when she saw Amelia slip out of the room away from the fighting.  
  
Without thinking, Simone left David and the lycans and chased after Amelia. She froze when she heard a familiar cry, and her eyes widened in fear at what she saw.  
  
Amelia stood in the middle of the main hall, holding Lily close to her. Her left arm was wrapped around Lily's shoulders, and her other hand rested lightly on her knee. She was crouched down behind Lily, and she kissed the frightened little girl's cheek spitefully.  
  
Simone growled threateningly at the Elder and took a step closer to her, only to stop again at Lily's sharp cry of pain. She looked down and saw Amelia's fingernail pressed against Lily's neck. She turned back into her human form and met Amelia's eyes squarely. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice sounding defeated.  
  
"Just think of this as revenge for Niklaus," Amelia answered, smirking at the hybrid. She pressed her fingernail closer to Lily's neck, and her grin widened when the child whimpered and moved closer to her.  
  
"Niklaus? You think I killed Niklaus?!" Simone wondered, surprise evident in her voice and eyes.  
  
"I know you killed Niklaus," Amelia replied, glaring at Simone. "My brother told me everything that happened."  
  
"And how would your brother know what happened?" Simone asked, angrily.  
  
"He was there. He was the one who stopped you from killing Sonia and any other Death Dealers."  
  
"He stopped me from killing Sonia?! I would never hurt Sonia. She's my sister, and I love her. I wouldn't even consider hurting her."  
  
"Just the same." Amelia shrugged nonchalantly and smiled down at Lily. "She is quite a beautiful child, isn't she? You must love her very much."  
  
Simone growled furiously at that comment, and her glare hardened even more. She noticed off-handedly that David, the lycans, Liane, and Erik had joined them in the main hall, but she kept her eyes fixed on Amelia.  
  
"Amelia, what are you doing?" Erik asked, stepping closer to her.  
  
Amelia took a step backwards and incidentally dug her fingernail into Lily's throat, drawing blood.  
  
"Don't hurt her!" Simone cried, hearing her daughter's shriek of pain.   
  
"What?" Amelia wondered, looking up at the hybrid.  
  
"Please, don't hurt her," Simone repeated, stepping out of David's reach. "I'll do anything you want. Just… please don't hurt Lily." She could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks, but she didn't care at the moment.  
  
"Amelia, let the girl go," Erik ordered, smiling gently at her. "You and I both know that you don't want to harm the child. So… just let her go."  
  
"You don't understand, Erik!" Amelia snapped, turning her blazing blue eyes on her brother. "I loved Niklaus… He was my mate… my best friend… I needed him… Sacha needed him… This hybrid killed him… You told me so yourself."  
  
"You lied to her about what happened?!" Sonia demanded, appearing on the stairs with Sacha. The two had been there for a while but had chosen to remain unknown until then.  
  
Amelia glanced over her shoulder at Sonia and Sacha before turning back to Erik.   
  
"Uncle Erik," Sacha began, taking her place at her mother's side. "Have you lied to us?" Her voice shook slightly, and her lower lip was trembling as she spoke to him, finding that she believed Sonia.  
  
"I…" Erik stuttered, looking from Sonia to Amelia and Sacha and back again. "I…"  
  
"Papa?" a shaky, little voice called.   
  
Erik looked down to see Rudolf standing beside Sonia, holding her hand loosely.  
  
"Papa, are you really a liar?" Rudolf asked, nervously.  
  
Erik looked between his family members and the lycans before sighing heavily and hanging his head to hide his shame. He'd known this day would come, and he had been dreading it for half a century. He supposed he'd brought it on himself when he'd lied to Amelia about Niklaus' death all those years ago, but it didn't really matter now. "The truth is, Amelia, that she didn't kill Niklaus," he explained, nodding to Simone. "… I did."  
  
Amelia gasped and released Lily, her icy eyes widening at what he'd said.  
  
Lily bolted away from Amelia to Simone, and she wrapped her little arms around her mother's legs, holding her tightly. She buried her face in the leather pants Simone still wore and sobbed into her mother's legs.  
  
Simone returned the embrace and smoothed Lily's unruly black hair back down, keeping her eyes fixed on the Elders.  
  
"I told you that she killed Niklaus, because I didn't want to hurt you," Erik continued, meeting Amelia's eyes briefly. "You would have been even more horrified to find that I had killed him than you would have been if I told you that someone else did… I am truly sorry for lying to you, Amelia. I didn't mean for it to come to this between us."  
  
Amelia overcame her shock after a few minutes, and she walked over to her brother. She studied him for a moment before slapping him hard across the cheek, leaving a red hand mark. She saw him close his eyes tightly, and against her better judgement, she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him gently. "I think I'll forgive you for this eventually," she whispered into his ear.  
  
Sacha smiled at her mother and uncle and wiped the stray tears from her eyes. She felt Sonia lay a hand on her shoulder, and she looked over at her, returning her gentle smile.  
  
Amelia released Erik and turned to Simone. She walked up to her and stopped just within arms reach of the hybrid. She studied Simone closely for a moment before holding out her hand to her.  
  
Simone stared at it and then raised her confused eyes to the Elder's face. She was surprised to see Amelia smiling gently at her.  
  
"You remind me so much of myself, just like Sonia," Amelia told her, glancing over her shoulder at Sonia briefly. "I know that we'll probably never come to fully trust each other, but I'm willing to start with a truce… And, to be honest, I'm sick of this war."  
  
Simone looked back down at her hand before smiling and shaking it firmly. "I'm generally a pretty forgiving person, but you threatened my daughter," she said, releasing the Elder's hand. "I agree with you when you say that we'll probably never trust each other, but I'm sick of this war too."  
  
Amelia nodded once in agreement and glanced at the lycans behind Simone. She spotted Lucas and Liane and smiled slightly at them, feeling a slight twinge of nostalgia.   
  
Lucas' eyes widened in surprise at what Liane had told him, and he turned to her to confirm it.  
  
Liane nodded and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.   
  
Lucas immediately returned the embrace, kissing her neck lightly. He was truly excited about her news, but the shock had yet to wear off.  
  
Amelia watched the open display of affection between the two and briefly wondered where Christopher was. She looked back at Simone and smiled slightly as she saw the two hybrids doting over their daughter, both scolding her for following the lycans to the mansion. She then turned to look at Erik and barely restrained a chuckle as Sonia slapped him on the other cheek, leaving another red hand mark.  
  
"I'm proud of you, Mother," Sacha said, appearing at Amelia's side.  
  
Amelia looked over at her, and for a split second, she was the gentle little girl of years before, not the hardened warrior she was now. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around her daughter and hugged her tightly, smiling when Sacha returned the embrace.   
  
Sacha smiled slightly at her mother and buried her face in her thick, black curls, reveling in the embrace she hadn't felt in years.  
  
Amelia pulled away a moment later and kissed her daughter's forehead, tenderly brushing a few stray curls out of her face.  
  
Simone, David, and Lily stood in the main hall of the vampire mansion with Sonia, Erik, and Rudolf.   
  
"Once again, I'm going to miss you," Sonia said, smiling at Simone.  
  
"I'm going to miss you too," Simone replied, returning the smile.  
  
David and Erik watched as the sisters hugged before turning to each other. Their eyes narrowed slightly at each other, but their scowls turned into smiles a moment later. They shook hands and pounded each other in the backs, already friends.  
  
The four adults all looked down at the pair of children beside them and smiled at them.  
  
Rudolf's blue-green eyes were fixed on the floor, and he scuffed his shoes idly on the carpet. He seemed uncertain for a moment before he presented a perfect white lily from behind his back. He held it out to Lily and smiled at her before looking down at his feet again in embarrassment.  
  
Lily gingerly took the flower from him and stared at it a moment before smiling at her cousin. Her look turned confused briefly before she smiled slyly and kissed his cheek affectionately. She flashed her teeth at him in a quick, grateful smile and scampered off to show her flower to Liane and Lucas.  
  
Rudolf's hand went to his cheek, and he blushed in embarrassment.  
  
Simone and David both laughed at him, while Erik and Sonia only smiled brightly at their shy son.  
  
"Aww," Sacha commented, stopping beside them. "Wasn't that sweet?" She smiled at the hybrids and vampires when they looked over at her before turning to her mother.  
  
"It's almost time for us to go," Amelia announced, smiling briefly at the hybrids. "Have you two said your good-byes."  
  
"We're just waiting for Liane and the American Elders," Sonia answered, turning to Amelia.  
  
Almost as if on cue, Lily dragged Liane and Lucas into the room and up to the group of people. "I found them for you, Aunt Sonia," she said, proudly.  
  
"Good job, Lily," Sonia replied, patting the girl's head. She turned to Liane and Lucas and smiled at them.   
  
"We just came down to say goodbye to you, Erik, and Rudolf," Liane told her, lifting her baby to her shoulder.  
  
"How's Cecily doing?" Sonia asked, smiling at the sleeping infant.  
  
"She's fine," Liane answered, smiling at Sonia. She wrapped her free arm around the other vampiress' shoulders and hugged her gently, relaxing when Sonia returned the embrace. "I really liked you, Sonia. I'm sorry you have to leave so soon."  
  
Sonia nodded in agreement and lowered her eyes to the floor to hide her sorrow.  
  
"You weren't planning on leaving without saying farewell to us, were you?" a gentle male voice taunted.  
  
The group of immortals all looked up at the stairs to see the two remaining American Elders, Robert and Evelyn, at the top. They stood amongst the group a moment later, arm in arm and all smiles. They quickly hugged their friends and bid them farewell, smiling at all of them.  
  
The European vampires all liked the American Elders. They were gentle, kind, and always cheerful.   
  
Robert was a tall, lean vampire who looked and acted about twenty. His dark brown hair was cropped short, and his golden brown eyes were friendly and warm.  
  
Evelyn was a very attractive, slender vampiress who looked no older than eighteen. Her auburn hair fell in loose curls to the middle of her back and hung freely around her face. Her hazel eyes were bright and still held the innocence of a child.  
  
In fact, the two remaining American Elders could be accurately described as children. They were much younger than the European Elders, and they acted more like children than any Elder should.  
  
"We thought it only appropriate that we escort you to the airport," Evelyn said, smiling at Amelia and Sacha. She gestured for them to follow her, and she and Robert led them out to the waiting car.  
  
They all climbed in and returned the waves of the friends they were leaving behind. They watched the mansion until it disappeared from their view over the horizon.  
  
Author's Note: I have a prequel written. I just need to get it typed onto my mom's computer. Apologies to anyone who is eagerly waiting. It may take a while.

Author's Note: I have a prequel written for anyone who's interested, but my computer is being gay. It won't let my friend e-mail it to me. Apologies to anyone who cares.


	6. The Children of Darkness

"The war had finally screeched to a halt with the creation of the hybrids. They broke one of our most  
  
important laws by living… But that is beside the point. The lycans and vampires had finally signed a permanent  
  
peace treaty, the first since the old one written over fourteen centuries ago.  
  
"I am a vampire, an Elder. My brother, Erik, and I are the last of the Elders. They call me the Queen of  
  
the Damned. I was the first vampire, and I must exist for all other vampires to exist.  
  
"The history of vampires and lycans is drawn out and long. Our war was complicated, and our hatred of  
  
each other runs deep. Our treaty was an attempt at peace between our species… Erik and I don't believe it will  
  
work, but we are both sick of the war.   
  
"I have lost so much to this war that I have come to just care less about how we interact with the lycans.  
  
Whether it's killing them or co-existing with them, it makes no difference to me. My mate is gone, and I have  
  
nothing left. Niklaus was my rock, and now he is dead, killed by my own brother.  
  
"I suppose to understand my misery, you must know and understand our history. This is a story that has  
  
never been told and only exists in the minds of the old ones who were there while it happened."  
  
The year was 355 A.D. The Armandus children were gathered at their home for their usual Sunday  
  
dinner.   
  
The three sons sat at the old mahogany table, waiting patiently for their father and sister.  
  
The oldest son, Kristof, was twenty-four years old. He had come from across town, where he lived, to join  
  
his family for dinner. He was tall and lean, and he was strong for his size and age. He had shaggy, light brown hair  
  
that hung messily around his face and shining blue-gray eyes.  
  
The young man across from Kristof, Erik, was twenty-one years old. He had traveled from Kiev, where his  
  
home was, to come to dinner. He was about two inches shorter than Kristof and was built in a similar fashion. His  
  
short hair matched Kristof's in color, and his eyes were a bright ocean blue.  
  
The youngest son, Rudolf, was eighteen years old. He still lived in the castle with his father and sister. He  
  
was about the same height as Erik but was a bit more bulky than his older brothers. His raven black hair was styled  
  
the same way as Kristof's and hung freely around his boyish face. His eyes matched Erik's and still held the  
  
innocence of a child.  
  
All three young men looked up as they heard someone enter the room. In the doorway stood their sister  
  
and father.  
  
Their father, Soloman, was a fifty-five year old man, quite an impressive age for his time. His once soft,  
  
light brown hair was now the coarse white that comes with age. His clear, blue-gray eyes were open but saw  
  
nothing. He had gone totally blind about four years before. His face was pale and gaunt as if he hadn't been feeling  
  
well lately. He held his gnarled, wooden cane in one hand and held his daughter's hand with the other.  
  
His daughter, Amelia, was just as beautiful as ever. She was only sixteen years old, but she looked and  
  
acted like she was much older. Her long, curly, black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail at the top of her head,  
  
and her eyes were the same blue-gray as Kristof's and her father's. She was wearing a tight-fitting frock that  
  
showed off her curves and milky-white skin well.  
  
"Father, are you in need of assistance?" Kristof asked, standing to help his father and sister.  
  
"No," Soloman answered, his voice edging on irritated. "I am fine, my son."  
  
Kristof nodded and obediently sat back down.  
  
Amelia watched her older brother closely as she carefully led her father to his seat at the head of the table.  
  
She smiled sweetly at Kristof before taking her seat across from Rudolf, beside Erik.  
  
The food was passed around, and the meal progressed in silence as usual.  
  
"My daughter, I believe it is time to find you a suitor," Soloman spoke up, suddenly. "Wouldn't you agree,  
  
Kristof?"  
  
"Yes, of course, Father," Kristof replied, smiling at Soloman.  
  
"It is settled then," Soloman continued. "Tomorrow, Amelia, we will find you a suitor."  
  
Amelia bowed her head to hide her sorrow.   
  
Only Rudolf noticed the lone tear that fell from her eye into her soup. He decided not to bring it up at the  
  
dinner table in front of everyone. He would ask her about it later.  
  
The rest of meal progressed as normal.  
  
Amelia excused herself when she finished and went straight up to her room. She quietly laid down on her  
  
bed and began to sob into her pillow. She didn't even hear the door to her bedroom open.  
  
Rudolf spotted her on her bed and quietly walked up to her. He eased himself down on the mattress beside  
  
her and gently touched her shoulder. "Amelia?" he called, his voice soft.  
  
Amelia glanced up at him from her pillow and quickly hid her face again when she saw who was sitting  
  
beside her.  
  
"Amelia, what's bothering you?" Rudolf asked, removing his hand from her shoulder.  
  
"Nothing," came Amelia's muffled reply.  
  
"You don't cry very often," Rudolf told her, idly toying with one of her black ringlets. "What brought this  
  
on?"  
  
Amelia didn't answer him.  
  
"Amelia, you can tell me," he said, sliding off the bed to kneel in front of her. "I won't tell anyone else."  
  
"You promise?" Amelia wondered, peeking up at him again.  
  
Rudolf nodded in agreement and smiled reassuringly at her.  
  
Amelia removed her face from her pillow and sat up, swinging her legs out over the edge of the bed. She  
  
met her brother's gaze briefly before looking away again, suddenly ashamed of her tears.  
  
Rudolf lifted her chin to meet her eyes again and smiled gently at her. He released her chin and sat back  
  
on his haunches, content to wait for her to speak.  
  
"I… I don't want a suitor," Amelia whimpered, forcing herself to keep her eyes on his.  
  
"Why not?" Rudolf wondered.  
  
"I… um… Well, I…"  
  
"You've already found someone that you love, haven't you?"  
  
Amelia nodded meekly and looked up at him, cautiously.  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
There was no sign of cynicism or rage in his voice, so Amelia thought it safe to answer his question. "A  
  
boy from town."  
  
"What's his name?"  
  
"Niklaus."  
  
"Niklaus?!"  
  
Amelia nodded in agreement, keeping her eyes focused on his.  
  
"You mean Kristof's friend, Niklaus?"  
  
Amelia nodded again. "He comes around here at night sometimes to see me… Promise you won't tell  
  
Father?!" She grabbed his shoulders, and her eyes turned nervous.  
  
"I won't tell anyone, Amelia." Rudolf smiled at her and tenderly wiped the tears from her eyes.  
  
After a moment, Amelia returned the smile and wrapped her arms around her brother's neck, hugging  
  
him tightly. "Thank you, Rudolf."  
  
"You're welcome, Amelia." Rudolf sighed quietly in relief and returned the embrace. He knew it would be  
  
hard to keep this from his father and brothers, but he was determined to keep the promise he'd made to his sister.  
  
Amelia poked her head out of her room and quickly checked the hallway for any signs of her family  
  
moving about. She sighed in relief when she found none and left her room. She crept silently down the hallway  
  
and downstairs to the front gates. She checked again for her family before going outside. She snuck through the  
  
courtyard and out into the field beside their house. She looked around for Niklaus and sighed sadly when she didn't  
  
see him anywhere.  
  
Just when she was about to give up and go back inside, Niklaus appeared at the edge of the woods. His  
  
eyes were doe brown, and the faint freckles of his childhood still dotted his nose. His had long blonde hair was  
  
pulled back into a low ponytail at the base of his skull. He sighed in relief when he saw her and walked towards  
  
her, meeting her at the top of the hill. He smiled brightly at her and hugged her gently, always careful not to hurt  
  
her.  
  
Amelia returned the embrace and buried her face in his neck, leaving a soft kiss there as she always did.  
  
Niklaus released her and trailed a hand along her jaw. He pulled her up the few inches that separated  
  
them and kissed her lips gently.   
  
When they parted, Amelia had a serious look on her face.   
  
"What is it, my love?" Niklaus asked, gently.  
  
"Father is going to find me a suitor tomorrow," Amelia answered, hanging her head.  
  
Niklaus lifted her face with one hand and met her eyes again. "What's wrong with that?" he wondered.  
  
"He won't pick you," she replied, looking away again. "You and I both know that. He'll want only the best  
  
for his precious daughter. He'll pick some snob that I'll hate, and I'll have to marry someone I don't even like."   
  
She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she pictured the man that her father would choose for her.  
  
"It will be all right," Niklaus assured her. "We'll come up with something."  
  
"There's something else you should know," she told him, glancing back at the castle quickly.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Rudolf knows about you."  
  
"Rudolf?! How did he find out?"  
  
"I told him."  
  
"You told him?!"  
  
"Niklaus, try to understand. He's my brother. He was only trying to help me."  
  
"What if he tells Kristof or Erik or worse, your father?"  
  
"He won't."  
  
"How can you be so sure?"  
  
"He promised me that he wouldn't tell anyone else. Rudolf has never broken a promise to me, not once.  
  
He'll keep this secret too."  
  
Niklaus hung his head to hide his anger.  
  
"Well, I better get back to the house." She kissed Niklaus' cheek and smiled sweetly at him when he  
  
looked up at her. "I'll see you again soon. Good night."  
  
"Good night," Niklaus replied, watching her hurry back to her home. "I really hope you're right about  
  
your brother, Amelia." With that, he turned and headed back to his house.  
  
"I was right when I said my father wouldn't choose him. My father picked a wealthy aristocrat from  
  
France for me. His name was Edward, and he had been in Ukraine on business. Apparently, the French wanted an  
  
alliance with my father, so they sent Edward to work out the details.  
  
"My father brought Edward home that night to meet me and my brothers. I took an immediate dislike to  
  
him as did Erik and Rudolf. Kristof didn't seem to mind him so much though.  
  
"I was determined to drive him away, and Erik and Rudolf agreed readily to allow me to do so.  
  
"That night at dinner, I joined in the men's conversation about politics and warfare just like I always did  
  
when we had guests that I didn't like. My knowledge of politics stunned him, I think, but that wasn't what drove  
  
him away. What drove him off was my intelligence. I knew more about everything than he did, and I pointed that  
  
out to him at every opportunity. I wasn't ignorant. My father had made certain that I got an education just like my  
  
brothers.  
  
"My father was angry when the Frenchman didn't return, but needless to say, he never brought another  
  
suitor for me back to the house.  
  
"I continued to see Niklaus at night behind my family's back, and Rudolf and I became closer than ever.  
  
We were once again as close as we had been when we were young.  
  
"I didn't know it at the time, but my life was about to take a drastic turn for the worse… In just two years,  
  
I would learn what Hell truly felt like."  
  
At the moment, Amelia and Rudolf were riding their favorite horses through the woods on the night of the  
  
full moon, disregarding the superstitions that were running around.  
  
There had been several mysterious killings of livestock during the full moon around town. The cattle had  
  
been ripped asunder by what looked like wolves' teeth. The rumor was that it had been a werewolf that had  
  
committed the crimes. The townspeople stayed inside their homes and were suspicious of any person that walked  
  
around at night.  
  
Several people had already been killed for being suspected werewolves.  
  
But the Armandus' weren't superstitious. They didn't believe in the werewolf myth and therefore were not  
  
afraid to travel in the woods at night or during the full moon.  
  
"Amelia, look," Rudolf spoke up, nudging her with his elbow. When she looked over at him, he pointed  
  
off into the distance at a dark opening in the rocks. "It's the Vampire Cave."  
  
"Vampire Cave?" Amelia wondered, not recognizing the name.  
  
"Yeah," Rudolf agreed, smiling at her. "It's supposedly where the bats live. The vampire bats."  
  
Amelia shivered in disgust at the mention of the vampire bat. "Vampires are disgusting," she muttered,  
  
wrinkling her nose.  
  
Rudolf chuckled at that before turning back to the trail. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small black  
  
dot emerge from the Vampire Cave, but when he looked over at it, it was gone.  
  
The pair rode on in silence, quickly forgetting the Vampire Cave.  
  
Suddenly, Amelia's mare reared in terror and almost threw her off.  
  
Rudolf stopped his mare and turned to help his sister regain control of her horse. He froze when he saw  
  
something black resting on Amelia's arm, and he watched it closely, wondering what it was.  
  
Amelia was struggling to get her mare down, speaking soft, reassuring words into her ear. She shrieked in  
  
surprise and pain and swatted at the black thing on her arm, noticing it for the first time.  
  
It was a bat!  
  
Rudolf watched the little, black bat fly away with wide, shocked eyes. Shaking his head to clear his mind,  
  
he rushed to Amelia's side and grabbed her mare's reins. He helped Amelia bring her back down and gently patted  
  
her sweaty neck before turning to his sister. "You okay, Amelia?" he asked, worriedly.  
  
Amelia was breathing heavily, and her eyes were closed tightly in pain. She shivered as if cold and  
  
clutched her head in her hands.  
  
Rudolf suddenly remembered seven years ago when Kristof had been bitten by the wolf. The exact same  
  
thing had happened to his older brother. He quickly caught Amelia in his arms as she thrashed about, nearly  
  
falling off her horse, and held her close to keep her from hurting herself.  
  
Amelia's movements gradually dwindled until she stilled completely.  
  
Rudolf cautiously released her and looked at her face, almost falling off his horse at what he saw there.  
  
Amelia's eyes blazed an inhuman blue, and there was no pain in them. They reflected everything that she  
  
saw and felt, and they were as cold as ice. Her mouth was open slightly, and four tiny fangs could be seen hanging  
  
from her upper jaw. Her once perfect eyeteeth and canines had sharpened to points and had lengthened to an  
  
abnormal size. Her naturally pale skin had faded to an alabaster white that was far too pale to be human. She  
  
stared at him, his neck in particular, the bloodlust shining in her dazzling blue eyes.  
  
Rudolf recoiled in fear and began to back his horse away from her.  
  
In a moment, the look was gone, and Amelia's eyes returned to their normal blue-gray color. Her teeth  
  
shrank a little so they were less obvious, but her skin stayed the same alabaster white. She met his gaze in fear and  
  
confusion before looking down at her arm. Her eyes widened when she saw the tiny puncture marks on her arm.  
  
The wound had already stopped bleeding and was scabbing over.  
  
"Amelia?" Rudolf wondered, drifting a little closer to her.  
  
Amelia wordlessly held her arm out to him and kept her eyes fixed on her horse's mane.  
  
Rudolf took her arm in one hand and jerked away the second he touched her skin. He took off his jacket  
  
and draped it over her shoulders, smiling gently at her when she looked up at him in confusion.  
  
"I'm not cold," she told him, shaking her head slightly.  
  
Rudolf's eyes widened slightly, and he looked away to hide the recognition on his face. He knew  
  
instinctively what had happened to her, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it or tell her. He slapped his horse  
  
with the reins and rode off, knowing Amelia was not far behind him. I can't believe it, he thought, shocked and  
  
worried for his sister. It can't be true… But, that's the only explanation I can come up with… It must be true…  
  
Amelia… my beloved sister… She's a vampire!  
  
Amelia and Rudolf went straight into their rooms the second they got home after bidding their father good  
  
night. It was still relatively early in the evening, only 10:30.  
  
Amelia changed into her nightgown and slipped into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. She laid  
  
her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes. She was asleep in an instant, but it was not a sound sleep. She  
  
tossed and turned all night, desperately trying to rid herself of the terrible nightmares that plagued her.  
  
At dawn, Rudolf stirred and awoke, bolting upright in his bed, though he didn't know what had suddenly  
  
awoken him. He looked around his room and saw the early morning rays of the sun streaming in through his. Then  
  
he heard it again.  
  
"AHHHHH!!!!!"   
  
It was Amelia!  
  
Rudolf leapt out of bed and rushed down the stairs of the tower to his sister's room. He opened the door  
  
and hurriedly looked around for her. He quickly found her cowering in the darkest corner of her room, screaming  
  
bloody murder. He rushed to her side, not knowing what was wrong with her, and knelt down in front of her.  
  
"Amelia, what is it?!" he asked, having to yell to be heard over her screaming.  
  
Amelia just continued to scream, trying frantically to cover herself with her arms and get further back into  
  
the corner.  
  
"Amelia, what-" He broke off when he saw the steam rising from her skin and the horrid burns on her  
  
sides. "Oh my God!" He grabbed the blanket off her bed and threw it over her, making sure she was completely  
  
covered. He picked up her mattress off the bed and propped it up against the window to block out the sun.   
  
Amelia moaned in pain under her blanket and felt tears of pain sting her eyes.  
  
Once certain the light wouldn't penetrate into the room, Rudolf went back to his sister's side, cringing  
  
inwardly at the sound of her agonized moans, and he gently pulled the blanket away from her.  
  
Amelia shrieked in pain as the blanket was ripped away from the burnt skin that it had adhered itself to.  
  
Rudolf felt sick when he saw the hideous burns all over her body. "Oh my God," he breathed, afraid to  
  
touch her.  
  
Amelia slowly forced her eyes open and met her brother's gaze.   
  
Rudolf shrank away from her glowing blue eyes and slowly met her pain-riddled gaze, determined not to  
  
be afraid of her. "You okay?" he asked, gently. He moved a little closer to her and tenderly brushed the curls out of  
  
her face, careful not to touch her skin.  
  
"I think I'm all right now," Amelia whispered, her voice filled with the pain that shone in her eyes.  
  
"Rudolf, what's wrong with me?" Her voice shook slightly, and a few tears rolled down her cheeks.  
  
Rudolf took a deep breath and met her eyes again, not sure if he should tell her or not. He could see that  
  
the burns were already starting to heal and decided that he would wait until they were gone to tell her, so he could  
  
comfort her if she needed it.  
  
"Rudolf?" Amelia called, looking up at him.  
  
Rudolf simply smiled at her and brushed the stubborn ringlets out of her face again. He stayed with her  
  
the rest of the day, only leaving her to tend to their blind father. He had told Soloman that Amelia was not feeling  
  
well and that he would take care of her until she was better.   
  
Amelia didn't sleep the entire day, too afraid that she would get burned again. She was always terrified  
  
when Rudolf left her to care for her father, but she knew she couldn't go with him. She clung to him while he was  
  
there and listened to the fairy tales he told her, stories that were so much like the ones her father had told her when  
  
she was young.  
  
It was evening when Rudolf came back in from dinner. He set a plate of food on the floor in front of  
  
Amelia and sat down across from her to watch her eat.  
  
Amelia slowly reached out and picked up an apple. She bit into it and abruptly whipped it away from her,  
  
spitting out the piece in her mouth. She was starving, but the apple had tasted like poison. She tried everything on  
  
the plate, only to find that it all tasted the same to her. She turned her confused eyes on her brother again, silently  
  
begging him to help her.  
  
Rudolf took a deep breath and moved closer to her, noting off-handedly that her burns were completely  
  
gone. He sat down beside her and cautiously wrapped his arm around her shoulders, still nervous about hurting  
  
her.  
  
"Rudolf, what's happening to me?" she whimpered, burying her face in his shirt.  
  
"Amelia, what I'm about to tell you is going to sound crazy, but you have to believe me," Rudolf  
  
answered, fixing his eyes on the far wall. He continued when he felt Amelia nod against his shirt. "Amelia, you've  
  
been bitten by a vampire bat… You're… becoming a… a vampire."  
  
"What?!" Amelia asked, sitting up sharply. "Why would I be turning into a vampire?"  
  
"How else do you explain your sudden intolerance to sunlight and food, your sharp fangs?" Rudolf  
  
wondered, looking down at her.  
  
Amelia gasped in shock after a moment, realizing he was right. Her lower lip quivered, and she buried her  
  
face in his shirt again, sobbing into the fabric.  
  
Rudolf hugged her to him and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, rubbing her back soothingly as  
  
she cried.  
  
"My first day as a vampire was an awful experience, one of the worst in my life. I'd never felt pain like  
  
that before, and thankfully, I never felt it again.   
  
"It was then that I began believing in fate. Fate was what kept my secret from my family. If my father  
  
hadn't been blind, he would have known something was wrong. If Erik and Kristof had been there, they would have  
  
known something wasn't right. If I hadn't gotten burned that first day, I would have been killed in the ones that  
  
followed.  
  
"That night, Rudolf and I covered all the windows with blankets and makeshift curtains to protect me  
  
before he went to bed. I snuck out of the castle and into the woods to find something to eat. I will never forget the  
  
first time I'd harmed anything in my life.   
  
"I wasn't eager to try blood, but I was starving, and I didn't know what else to do. I reasoned that if I  
  
really was turning into a vampire, then the taste of blood wouldn't be too bad.   
  
"With my new vampire speed and skills, I quickly caught a little squirrel. I held the tiny creature in my  
  
hands and watched it with fascination as it sniffed at my fingers and fixed its inquisitive brown eyes on my blue  
  
ones. I had never killed anything in my life, not even bugs or rats, and I didn't really want to hurt the squirrel.  
  
"I closed my eyes and easily snapped its little neck. When I looked back down at it again, it lay limp in  
  
my hands. Before I realized what I was doing, I had bit down on the squirrel's broken neck and was drinking the  
  
blood that spilled forth.  
  
"Horrified, I had thrown the tiny body away from me and collapsed to my knees in the autumn leaves,  
  
sobbing into my hands.  
  
"It was then that my brother found me and took me back home."  
  
Amelia had been a vampire for two years when Soloman Armandus died. His death brought her two older  
  
brothers home. The second they walked in and saw all the windows covered, she and Rudolf had been forced to tell  
  
them what had happened.  
  
Once the story was finished, Amelia had rushed upstairs to her room, wanting desperately to get away  
  
from her brothers and the life she now lived.  
  
The brothers watched her go with different expressions on their faces before Kristof followed her, flashing  
  
a quick glare at Erik and Rudolf to let them know that he was going alone.  
  
Erik and Rudolf looked at each other and watched him ascend the stairs, both wondering what he could be  
  
doing.  
  
Kristof gently rapped on Amelia's door and waited patiently for her response. "May I come in?" he asked  
  
when he received none.  
  
"No," Amelia whimpered, her voice shaky with her sobs.  
  
Kristof took a deep breath and entered her room anyway, closing the door behind him. "Amelia, I want to  
  
talk to you," he said, walking up to where she sat in the corner.  
  
"I don't have anything to talk about," came her muffled reply.  
  
Kristof knelt down in front of her and touched her shoulder gently, smiling warmly at her when she  
  
looked up at him. "I know what you're going through," he told her.  
  
"How could you possibly know what I'm going through?" Amelia snapped, angrily wiping her tears away.  
  
"You have no idea."  
  
"Actually, sister dear, I do," Kristof argued, resting his hand across his knee. "You see, ten years ago  
  
while Rudolf, Erik, and I were out on a hunting trip, we were attacked by a wolf pack. We killed most of them, but  
  
one managed to survive. It was the pack's alpha male. Just as we were about to leave, he charged us and sank his  
  
teeth into my arm."  
  
"What difference does that make? You're not a vampire like me."  
  
"No, I'm not. That's very true. But I do know what's it's like to be immortal and to have no one else like  
  
you."  
  
Amelia looked up at him quickly and met his gaze suspiciously. "What happened after the wolf bit you?"  
  
"The same thing that happened to you I imagine." Kristof chuckled half-heartedly and smiled warmly at  
  
her. "I know that it's been Hell for you these past two years. It's been like that for me until today when I found out  
  
about you."  
  
"Kristof, what are you?"  
  
"I'm a werewolf, Amelia."  
  
"A werewolf?!"  
  
Kristof nodded slightly in agreement and smiled at her.  
  
"Does anyone else know about this?"  
  
"No one but you and me."  
  
"So, for once the rumors were true."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"The townsfolk have been saying that a werewolf has been running around town on the full moon, killing  
  
their livestock."  
  
"That wasn't me… I have never killed a cow in my life. I only attack smaller animals or forest life. I've  
  
never been so hungry that I've attacked a farm animal."  
  
Amelia thought on this for a minute before laughing happily. She threw her arms around her brother and  
  
hugged him tightly, smiling when he returned the embrace. "So, that means you're immortal too?"  
  
Kristof nodded and kissed her cheek softly.   
  
"We're just two immortals then… Together for eternity."  
  
"Yeah," Kristof sighed, smiling in relief. He was glad that at least someone accepted him for who he was.  
  
"Neither of us knew at that moment just how impossible that simple statement would be to keep. I loved  
  
my brother dearly, and he was just as affectionate towards me.   
  
"I suppose if we had never changed anyone else, if we had stayed the only two immortals alive, then we  
  
could have been together for eternity. But it simply wasn't meant to be.  
  
"We did stay together for about five years, and we were as close as siblings could possibly be. However,  
  
in 365, he met a pretty girl named Lena in town and turned her into a werewolf like him, the only other one of his  
  
kind. They remained at the house with me for about two months before they left me too, just like Rudolf and Erik  
  
had done the year before.  
  
"I remained alone in my father's castle for three years, slowly turning into an icy, unfeeling monster. I  
  
began to creep into town at night when I was hungry enough and kill the first man I saw. It was easy enough to do,  
  
because I was so alluring and so much stronger than mortals were.  
  
"My life took a drastic turn for the better one night in late October. I was prowling the streets for a  
  
victim when I came across one. Just as he came into the light of the full moon, I realized who it was. Niklaus, my  
  
girlhood love.   
  
"Even to this day, I cannot remember what happened that night. All I remember was waking up in my own  
  
room at home with Niklaus asleep beside me. He had been cold; I could feel it since his arm had been draped  
  
across my waist. I had changed him into a vampire without even knowing it, and I was no longer alone. Now, I had  
  
a companion for eternity, and I knew that things would get better." 


	7. Sophia

"The two years that followed Niklaus' turning were some of the happiest that I can remember. We did everything together. We hunted, fed, and talked together. It didn't take him long to accept what he was, and he had easily settled into the vampire lifestyle.  
  
"We slowly grew apart again in late 370, two years after his turning."  
  
Amelia and Niklaus sat by the fireplace, watching the flames.  
  
Amelia sat on the floor with her legs curled underneath her. She held Niklaus' head in her lap and was idly toying with his soft, blonde hair.  
  
Niklaus, for his part, tolerated it as he carefully studied her face from his place on the floor. He sat up sharply as he heard the front gates open and moved in front of Amelia to protect her from whatever was intruding. His eyes turned icy blue, and his fangs elongated as he watched the hallway closely.  
  
After a moment, Rudolf appeared in the doorway, panting heavily, and he sighed in relief when he saw them. "Amelia, you have to come with me right now," he ordered, walking up to her.  
  
"Why?" Amelia asked, standing up. "What happened?"  
  
"It's Erik," Rudolf answered. "He's really sick. You've got to do something. The doctors don't think he'll make it."  
  
"Well, what do you want me to do?" Amelia wondered, her voice laden with worry for her brother. "I can't do anything that a doctor can't."  
  
"You can make him a vampire like you," Rudolf told her, taking her cold hand in his warmer one. "If he's a vampire, he can fight off his disease. He'll be okay."  
  
"Why don't you ask Kristof?" Amelia asked, immediately regretting it.  
  
"Because he's not a vampire like you," Rudolf replied, smiling reassuringly at her. "Please Amelia. You have to help him."  
  
Amelia glanced over her shoulder at Niklaus and gave him an apologetic look before turning back to Rudolf. "Okay, Rudolf," she agreed. "I'll do what I can."  
  
"Great!" Rudolf exclaimed, hugging her tightly. He let her go and pulled her towards the front gates where he'd left his carriage, Niklaus close behind them.  
  
Rudolf led Amelia and Niklaus up the stairs to Erik's room and entered with them.  
  
Kristof stood up when he saw them enter and smiled at Amelia.  
  
Amelia returned the smile, bitterly, before looking down at Erik's prone body under the thin blanket. She was instantly at his side, chewing on her thumbnail anxiously. "Erik," she called.  
  
Erik slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her, barely managing to give her a weak smile before he fell into a coughing fit.  
  
Amelia looked away from him, sickened at seeing him like that. He'd always been so strong, never sick, and he had always been the one to sit at her bedside when she was ill. It felt so wrong to see him reduced to this. She glanced over her shoulder as she heard someone enter and locked eyes with Kristof's wife, Lena.  
  
Lena was about two inches shorter than she was, but she was just as slender. She didn't look nearly as fragile as Amelia did, since her body seemed to be built entirely of lean muscle. She had long, pin-straight, brown hair and gentle gray eyes that sparkled with life. She smiled at Amelia and walked up to her, holding out her hand politely. "It's good to see you again, Amelia," she said.  
  
Amelia bit back the hiss that she knew was coming and forced herself to smile at the other woman and shake her hand. "It's good to see you too, Lena," she replied, fighting to keep her voice from sounding angry.  
  
Releasing Amelia's hand, Lena turned to Rudolf and smiled at him. "Rudolf," she greeted, nodding to him.  
  
"Lena," Rudolf replied, smiling at her.  
  
Lena chuckled slightly at him and went to Kristof's side. She took her place behind his chair and rested her hand on his shoulder.  
  
Amelia flashed a quick glare at her before turning back to Erik. She knelt down beside him and hesitantly took one of his limp hands in hers. "Erik," she called, tenderly brushing the hair out of his face. "Erik, can you hear me?"  
  
Erik nodded slightly and coughed a little.  
  
Amelia felt her eyes welling up with tears, but she didn't care at the moment. "Erik, I can help you," she told him, her voice low enough for only his ears to hear. "I can take away the pain I know you're in… But you have to want it… I couldn't do this to you unless I was certain you had a choice." She saw Erik nod weakly again and continued. "Erik, I can make you a vampire like me… It will make you immortal, and you'll never have to worry about getting sick again…"  
  
Erik nodded again, listening intently to her now.  
  
"Do you want me to turn you?" she asked, gently. "Don't answer unless you're absolutely sure, because I can't take it back."  
  
Erik tried to concentrate his thoughts on what she was implying, but he couldn't. His illness and pain were clouding his mind, and he couldn't think straight. He licked his dry, cracked lips and nodded, turning his pain-riddled gaze on her.  
  
Amelia smiled crookedly at him and wiped the tears from her eyes. She quickly looked around the room and was pleased to find that everyone had left. She turned Erik's head to the side and moved to whisper something in his ear. "This is going to hurt for a second," she told him. She waited for Erik's nod before sinking her fangs into his neck.  
  
Meanwhile, Kristof, Rudolf, Lena, and Niklaus waited outside the room, hoping for a positive result.  
  
"Do you think we're doing the right thing, Kristof?" Lena asked, turning her nervous eyes on her mate.  
  
Kristof thought about it for a minute before smiling at her and nodding in agreement. "He'll be just fine. Amelia knows what she's doing," he explained. "There's no need to worry."  
  
Rudolf and Niklaus nodded slightly in agreement with what Kristof had said.  
  
A moment later, Amelia emerged from Erik's bedroom with Erik right behind her. She smiled at her brothers and stepped aside so Erik could come fully into their view. She watched him step out into the hallway with only a slight wobble and smiled in relief, glad that he was all right.  
  
Niklaus slipped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck. He pressed a soft kiss to her cold skin and smiled slightly when she shivered a little.   
  
Erik waved off his brothers' and Lena's concerned questions and turned to Amelia. He walked over to her and smiled down at her. "Thank you, Amelia," he said, taking her hand in his. He kissed the back of her hand gently and caught her as she abruptly threw her arms around his neck, returning the affectionate embrace. He glanced back at Niklaus and caught his jealous glare before turning his attention back on his sister.  
  
"I am still not quite sure what got into Niklaus after that, but he began to avoid me as soon as Erik joined us in the castle.   
  
"Erik and I consequently ended up spending more and more time together. I taught him all I'd learned about vampires and helped him find a suitable place to sleep and feed.   
  
"Erik accepted what he was even faster than Niklaus did. He was more tenacious and efficient than I was in the kill. I was truly proud of him.  
  
"Neither of us knew that our lives would be turned upside-down in the years to come by something that no one had suspected."  
  
Niklaus opened his eyes and quietly slipped out of bed when he was certain Amelia was still sleeping. He pulled on a pair of pants and snuck out of the room. He silently crept out of the castle and headed towards town. He stopped beside a modest little cottage and tossed a pebble at a window before taking a seat on the hill behind the house to wait.  
  
After about a minute, the back door of the cottage opened, and a young woman appeared in the doorway. Her long cornsilk hair was tied into a braid that hung over her shoulder, and her bright blue-green eyes were still dazed with sleep. She looked over at Niklaus and met his glowing icy blue eyes, smiling when she recognized him. She quietly closed the door behind her and met him on the hill. She stopped in front of him and barely held in her delighted laugh as he pulled her down on his lap.  
  
Niklaus kissed her hard and moved his hands to her shoulders, holding her close.  
  
Amelia awoke and sat up, yawning and stretching languidly. She glanced down at the bed beside her, and her heart fell when she saw that it was empty again. She'd woken up alone every night for the past week and a half, and it was beginning to get on her nerves. She stood up and went downstairs to the library, where she knew Erik would be.  
  
Erik looked up from his book when he heard her enter and smiled gently at her. "Good morning, Amelia," he greeted, returning to his reading.  
  
"Good morning, Erik," Amelia replied, walking over to him. "Have you seen Niklaus?"  
  
"No," Erik answered, keeping his attention on his book. "Did he disappear again before you woke up?"  
  
"Yes," Amelia agreed, her face hardening in anger. "Boy, is he going to get it when he gets back."  
  
Erik chuckled lightly at his sister's threat and watched her leave out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Niklaus quietly crept back into the castle and froze when he felt Amelia's presence nearby.  
  
"Welcome home," Amelia greeted, icily. She stepped out of the shadows where she'd been hiding and fixed her inhuman blue eyes on Niklaus. "Where have you been?"  
  
"I was out feeding," Niklaus answered, meeting her gaze squarely.  
  
"Don't lie to me!" Amelia snapped, stepping within arms' reach of him. "You haven't been feeding. Now, tell me where you've been!"  
  
Niklaus hung his head in shame, knowing that he'd been caught. "I was out wandering through town," he lied again, hoping she believed him this time.  
  
"Oh," she said, giving him a strange look. "Why were you doing that?"  
  
"I don't know," he replied, meeting her eyes briefly. "I guess I just needed some time to myself to think."  
  
"Oh," she breathed, clearly relieved. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry I doubted you, Niklaus."  
  
Niklaus nodded slightly, kissed her cheek gently, and returned the embrace, not feeling the slightest twinge of guilt.  
  
Erik watched the display from a dark corner and glared furiously at Niklaus. He could tell that something was not quite honest about the older vampire, and he didn't like the fact that he was lying to his sister to her face. Well, Niklaus, he thought, cynically. I'll find out what your secret is. Mark my words. I won't stand for you lying to her anymore. He quietly slipped out of the room and went into the main hall to light a fire.  
  
"I had woken up alone again every day for the next five years before Erik came to me. He told me that he had followed Niklaus several times over the past few years and knew that he was lying to me about where he had been going and what he had been doing. I finally decided to confront Niklaus that night to see if my brother really was telling the truth."  
  
Amelia entered the living room and found Niklaus lighting a fire. She took a deep breath and approached him. She stopped a few feet away from him and cleared her throat to get his attention.  
  
Niklaus looked over his shoulder at her and flashed her a quick, gentle smile before turning back to the tiny fire he'd started.  
  
"Um… Niklaus?" Amelia began, unsure of how to bring up the subject that had been nagging her for weeks.  
  
"Yes?" he replied, backing away from the fire. He walked past her and took a seat on the sofa, giving her an inviting smile.  
  
Amelia returned the smile and walked over to him. She sat down beside him and curled her legs underneath her, relief washing over her when she felt him wrap his arm around her shoulders. She met his eyes and studied him for a moment before speaking. "Niklaus, I have heard some very disturbing news about you recently," she told him.  
  
"What might that be?" he wondered, tracing her jaw line with his hand.  
  
"Well, I heard that you've been having… an affair… with a human girl," she answered, struggling to hold his gaze.  
  
"Who told you such an absurd thing?!"  
  
"Erik… He followed you a few times and saw you with a young mortal."  
  
"It is not true, my love… I would never do something like that to you." His arm tightened around her shoulders in a slight hug, and he smiled reassuringly at her.  
  
"I knew it… I knew you would never cheat on me like that." Amelia smiled happily and rested her head on his chest, snuggling up closer to him.  
  
They sat on the couch together like that for a few hours until Amelia excused herself to get to bed.  
  
Niklaus watched her leave before turning his eyes back on the dying flames.  
  
"You coward," a fuming voice hissed from the hallway.  
  
Niklaus glanced over his shoulder to see Erik enter the room and turned back to the fire as if it were nothing.  
  
"You can't even tell her the truth to her face," Erik continued, walking up to the couch. He stopped about ten feet away from Niklaus and crossed his arms over his chest. "You lie to her outright and don't even feel the slightest pang of guilt about it… You disgust me."  
  
"I disgust you?" Niklaus asked, sounding appalled. "I believe you were the one who followed me all those nights into town… And you're calling me disgusting. Ha! You're not much better."  
  
"What I did is nowhere near the same as what you're doing to Amelia!" Erik snapped, his eyes flashing blue in his rage. "If she finds out about your mortal paramour, it'll crush her… You and I both know this, and yet you continue to see this woman… For God's sake, what's the matter with you?"  
  
"There's nothing wrong with me," Niklaus answered, casually. "Amelia is a strong girl. She can take anything that I can dish out to her…" He looked over at Erik and smirked before turning back to the fire again. "Besides, Sophia will be dead long before Amelia finds out about her."  
  
Erik glared furiously at him for a moment longer before he regained control of his anger. "She is strong, yes, but she's smart too," he told him. "She'll discover your little secret long before your Sophia is dead… And when she does, I'll feel sorry for you and your foul lover."  
  
Niklaus laughed then, confusing Erik slightly, though he did not show it. "You would feel sorry for us?!" he repeated, finally gaining control of his laughter. "And why would you feel sorry for us? What will Amelia do? She is too gentle to even think about hurting me or another human."  
  
Erik was about to retort when Amelia appeared in the doorway in a white nightgown.   
  
"Niklaus, are you coming?" she asked, smiling sweetly at him.  
  
Niklaus returned the smile and stood up. He smirked triumphantly at Erik as he passed him and followed Amelia upstairs.  
  
Erik glared daggers at him and smiled gently at his sister when she turned to him.  
  
"Good night, Erik," Amelia said, smiling warmly at him as she took Niklaus' hand.  
  
"Good night, Amelia," Erik replied, returning the smile. "Sleep well."  
  
Amelia led Niklaus upstairs to their bedroom, completely oblivious of what had gone on between the two.  
  
Niklaus strode through town and froze when he heard a scream coming from nearby. Without thinking, he bolted towards where the scream had come from. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Sophia writhing in pain on the ground. He hurriedly went to her side and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight to him.  
  
"Niklaus," she rasped, her eyes unfocused. "Niklaus… were… werewolf…" She made a conscious effort to point in the direction of the woods.  
  
Niklaus looked up and saw a bulky man rushing into the woods. He was about to chase it down when he remembered the slender human cradled in his arms. He looked back down at her and tenderly turned her head to the side, starting when he saw the huge bite mark on her collarbone.  
  
"Ni… Niklaus," she breathed, trying hard to stay conscious.  
  
When she finally passed out, Niklaus lifted her into his arms and carried her back to her home. He left her on the back doorstep and pounded on the door, knowing that someone must have heard him. He kissed Sophia's forehead and left just as soon as he saw a candle light up in the house. He stood just out of sight on the hill behind her house and watched as an elderly man, her father, picked her up and took her inside.  
  
"It was only a few months after that that I ran into Kristof during a hunt. I spoke to him, and he filled me in on everything that had happened in Britain over the past few years. We talked for hours about how our lives had been going since we'd last seen each other.  
  
"It had been strangely wonderful to talk to Kristof again without being under the constant, watchful eye of Lena. I knew that she wasn't very fond of me, and I was certain that she knew that I despised her.  
  
"Over the next two years, I slowly turned cold and heartless again just as I had been before I turned Niklaus and Erik. Without Niklaus around, I was gradually losing touch with what little humanity I had left.  
  
"Erik and Niklaus also turned about twelve other vampires, claiming that there needed to be more of us. They all lived at our castle, and we began to refer to it as a Coven. We built a whole system around which the entire Coven operated. Erik, Niklaus, and I were the oldest of the vampires, so we assumed control. Our Coven had formed itself into a hierarchy of the vampires that lived there within the span of a year and a half."  
  
Niklaus awoke to find Amelia gone from his side. He disregarded that fact, assuming that she was meeting with the Coven, and snuck out of the castle. He failed to notice, however, the lithe shadow that followed him. He went into the village and right up to Sophia's house. He tossed a pebble against the window and sat down on the hill to wait as he always did.  
  
Now, where did he go? Amelia wondered, looking around for Niklaus as she walked through town. Her eyes widened slightly as she spotted him seated on a hill, and she quickly hid around the corner of a house. She watched with the utmost curiosity as a young woman with long blonde hair walked up to Niklaus. Who is that?… She's not human, whoever she is… A quick sniff of the air confirmed the scent coming from the young woman. Werewolf. She's a werewolf.  
  
Her curiosity quickly transformed into rage as she saw Niklaus kiss the young werewolf. It was all she could do to not walk right up to them and slap him as hard as she could. She took a deep breath to calm herself and hurried back to the castle, deciding to nail him when he came home.  
  
Niklaus crept silently through the front gates and past the library.  
  
"Niklaus," Amelia called from the library.  
  
Niklaus froze when he caught the sly, cunning undertone of her voice, and he hesitantly walked into the library to talk to her, gathering his courage to lie to her yet again. He stopped when he saw her standing next to the desk across the room, and he gulped nervously, not certain what she was planning. He had never seen her like this before.  
  
Her eyes were the dazzling ice blue of the vampire, and he could see her fangs as she smiled. Her hair was down and bounced around her face and shoulders when she moved. Her silver dress was tight and seductive.  
  
Amelia strode over to him and hugged him gently, resting her head on his chest. "I think that you have something to tell me," she said, smiling coyly.  
  
"What… what do you mean?" Niklaus wondered, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.  
  
"You know what I mean, Niklaus," she answered, pulling away to look him in the eyes. "It seems that Erik was right about you."  
  
"What?" Niklaus asked, not knowing what she was talking about.  
  
"You have been having an affair with a mortal."  
  
"I have not!"  
  
"There's no use lying to me now, Niklaus." She backed away from him and moved to walk back to the desk, turning to face him again when she reached the desk. "I've seen your little lover… Sophia, right?" She smirked maliciously at him when he remained silent. "She's very pretty… especially for a werewolf."  
  
"How did you know she was a werewolf?"  
  
"You really are ignorant, aren't you?" She laughed cynically and smiled coyly at him. "She bears the werewolf scent. I caught it when I followed you tonight."  
  
Niklaus hung his head in shame, knowing that she had finally caught him.  
  
"I want you to get rid of her." Amelia picked the wineglass up from the desk and took a sip of the contents. She sat down on the desktop and crossed her legs languidly, cradling the glass in her hand. She licked the blood from her lips and fixed her icy blue eyes on the red liquid in the cup.  
  
"What?" Niklaus looked up at her, finding it hard to believe what she had just said.  
  
"I want you to get rid of her." Amelia idly twirled the glass in her fingers, watching the blood slosh about in it. "I don't care how you do it, but I want her gone."  
  
After a moment, Niklaus looked up at her again, finally regaining his composure. "I can't do that."  
  
Amelia stopped twirling the glass and looked up at him sharply. "What?"  
  
"I can't get rid of her."  
  
After a moment of consideration, Amelia slid off the desktop, setting the glass back down and walked up to him. She ran her hand along his cheek, tracing the contours of his face with her eyes and hand, before meeting his gaze again. Abruptly, she slapped him hard across the cheek, leaving a bright red hand mark, and her eyes flashed in fury when he looked back at her. "Either you kill her, or I'll kill both of you." Smiling slightly at him, she kissed his reddened cheek lightly and left the room.  
  
Niklaus stood transfixed, stunned at what she'd said and done. He'd never seen her act that way before, and to be honest, it scared him a little.  
  
"Later that night, Erik and I met with the Coven, without Niklaus, and we drafted the first set of Coven laws. It only consisted of about five laws that mostly concerned interaction with the werewolves and behavior in the castle.  
  
"The laws were set in place the next week, and we began enforcing them immediately.  
  
"Despite these new laws forbidding it, Niklaus continued to see his werewolf lover. He was smarter than I gave him credit for. He knew that I wasn't kidding when I'd threatened her life and had moved her the night I'd found out about her to protect her. He was more careful about leaving the castle after that too, since Erik and I had both followed him without his knowledge.  
  
"It was only a year later when I finally got what I wanted."  
  
Sophia rushed up to the front gates of the castle and opened them, hurrying to the castle doors. She knocked on the heavy wooden doors and rubbed her arms vigorously to warm them as she waited for someone to answer.  
  
After about a minute, a young male vampire named Jakob answered the door. He was tall and quite muscular. His light brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and his dark brown eyes were fixed on her. "What do you want?" he asked, trying to keep his voice gentle. He could tell that this woman was distressed about something, and he had no desire to provoke her anger.  
  
"I need to speak with Niklaus," Sophia answered, her voice sounding desperate.  
  
"All right," Jakob agreed after a moment's hesitation. He stepped aside and waited for her to enter the castle, closing the doors behind her. "Wait here. I'll go get him for you."  
  
Sophia nodded in agreement and watched Jakob disappear down a dark hallway. A few minutes later, he returned with Niklaus, and she barely restrained her tears of joy at seeing him.  
  
"Sophia!" Niklaus exclaimed, surprised to see her. He walked right up to her and hugged her briefly. "What are you doing here?"   
  
"I have something that I need to tell you," Sophia replied, fixing her nervous eyes on his chocolatey brown ones.  
  
"Okay," Niklaus agreed, looking around for Amelia or Erik. When he saw no sign of them, he turned back to Sophia and smiled gently at her. "Follow me." He took her hand and led her back down the hallway he'd come from to the library. He released her hand and closed the doors behind him, turning to face her when he finished. "Now, what did you need to tell me?"  
  
"Niklaus, I…" She paused and looked down at her feet, suddenly unsure of herself. Her voice dropped to a low, breathy whisper as she spoke again. "Niklaus, I… I'm… pregnant…" She lifted her eyes from her feet to his face to see his reaction.  
  
Niklaus' brown eyes were wide with astonishment, and they were slowly clouding over blue. When he met her gaze again, his eyes were a dilated ice blue that frightened her. He watched her for a moment before turning to the library doors. He opened them and stepped out into the hallway. "Erik!" he called.  
  
A minute later, Erik appeared in the doorway beside Niklaus. He looked over Niklaus' shoulder at Sophia, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Niklaus, why did you bring her here?!" he asked.  
  
Niklaus pulled him into the library and slammed the doors shut. "I didn't bring her here," he told him. "She came here herself."  
  
Erik caught the secretive, nervous look in Niklaus' eyes and leaned closer to him. "Do you have any idea what Amelia will do if she finds her here?" he wondered, keeping his voice low so only Niklaus could hear him. "She'll kill you both."  
  
Sophia watched Niklaus whisper something to Erik and bit her lip nervously as Erik gasped and recoiled in shock. She saw him glance at her quickly before looking back at Niklaus. She saw him mutter something else to Niklaus, and she became even more confused when Niklaus hung his head in sorrow. "Ni… Niklaus," she called, her voice wavering.  
  
Niklaus glanced at her, the sorrow evident in his eyes, before turning back to Erik. "Do it," he ordered, his icy eyes hardening again.  
  
Erik nodded, glanced over at Sophia again, and left the room.  
  
"Niklaus, is everything all right?" she asked, anxiously. She could tell something wasn't quite right, and she was afraid to think about what it could be.  
  
"I am sorry about this, Sophia," Niklaus apologized, pointedly avoiding her eyes. "Truly I am."  
  
Sophia stared at him in confusion and jumped when Erik came back in with two werewolves in human form and three vampires. She was too frightened and confused to even struggle as they grabbed her by the arms and held her up to face Erik.  
  
"You're being charged with high treason," Erik told her, his voice flat and emotionless. "You will be imprisoned and tried immediately." He nodded to the guards and watched them drag her away. He turned to Niklaus when they disappeared and forced himself to smile reassuringly at him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You're doing the right thing."  
  
Niklaus nodded slightly and hung his head in shame.  
  
"What is going on here?!" Amelia demanded, storming into the library with Kristof close behind her. "Niklaus, you had better have a good explanation for this one."  
  
Niklaus met her blazing ice blue eyes and took a deep breath, fully prepared to tell her everything. He was about to explain himself when Kristof spoke.  
  
"Yes, I would really like to know why you have taken one of my werewolves prisoner," Kristof added, stepping up beside Amelia.  
  
Erik met Niklaus' eyes when he glanced back at him and gave him an expectant look, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"I'm waiting," Amelia said, placing her hands on her hips and tapping her foot impatiently.  
  
Niklaus took another deep breath and began his story of everything that had happened over the past eighteen years. When he'd finished, he met Amelia's eyes again, hoping for forgiveness.  
  
Amelia's face was slack with amazement, and she had dropped her hands to her sides. "Wow," was all she could manage to say.  
  
Kristof and Erik remained silent as they let everything they'd just heard sink in.  
  
Niklaus hung his head again and closed his eyes, ready to take his punishment with dignity. His eyes snapped open when he felt Amelia wrap her arms around him in a tender embrace, which he instinctively returned.  
  
"I'm so proud of you, Niklaus," Amelia whispered into his chest. She snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes in contentment.  
  
Niklaus sighed in relief, glad that she forgave him, and buried his face in her soft, black curls.  
  
"About a month later, at the first opportunity, we held Sophia's trial. She was found guilty and was sentenced to execution.   
  
"To prove his loyalty to me, I made Niklaus stay and watch her execution. She had looked at me in surprise for a moment before she met Niklaus' hard eyes. I think I saw a tear fall from one of her blue-green eyes as she resigned herself to her death. I had been pleased to see Niklaus not even flinch as her head fell from her body.  
  
"Her execution angered Kristof greatly, and he had returned to Britain immediately after she was sentenced. Eventually, we stopped all contact between our two species. That was when our hatred of each other began, I think. It all started with Sophia's death, but it would deepen more as the years passed and more were killed." 


	8. The War Begins

"Over the next four centuries, the hatred between my vampires and Kristof's werewolves deepened. Nothing of much importance happened during those four hundred years.   
  
"Our second set of Coven laws was written. It was essentially the same as the first set, except it contained more rules about werewolves and a ban on blending the species as Niklaus and Sophia had done.   
  
"Shortly after the laws were written, Erik took half of our Coven, twenty-five vampires, to Moscow. There, he created a second Coven that he ruled over.  
  
"Strangely, Niklaus cheered up a lot after Erik left, and he opened up more around me. Once again, I became more pleasant and gentle as I'd been before I turned Erik.  
  
"Our Covens were slowly rising in power as our numbers increased.  
  
"In the early 600s, Kristof met with Niklaus and I at our castle, and we signed a peace treaty with the werewolves, who we now referred to as lycans.   
  
"We gained two more Covens, one in Nagasaki, Japan, and one in Marseille, France. Our numbers grew tremendously over these years, and the first child vampire was born in 666.  
  
"The times were peaceful, but everyone knows that peace never lasts for long."  
  
In the early months of the year 750, the Ukrainian Coven had a tomb built in the castle. The tomb was meant for the Elders, so they could rest from time to time.  
  
Amelia and Niklaus stood in the doorway to the new tomb, staring at the floor where the three crypts were.  
  
The tomb was a rather large room made of black and gray marble. The doors that led to the tomb consisted of two layers. The first was a solid granite sliding door that served as protection for the slumbering Elders. The second layer was made of glass so that the other vampires could look in on the Elders to check on them if the need arose. Hanging from each wall was a flaming torch that illuminated the otherwise dark room. The ornately carved floor where the crypts were was sunk into the ground. Around it rose a small flight of stairs that led to the higher parts of the floor. At the far end of the room, there stood a single marble throne. The throne appeared to be on a stage with the stone walls closing in so close to it. There was a small room behind the throne where the casket would be placed after the Awakening ceremony.   
  
The crypts themselves were simply deep, marble lined holes dug into the earth beneath the floor, covered by a metallic top. The tops all sported the Elder's initial and the same ornate carvings that looked to be nothing but show. The carvings were, in actuality, meant to hide the mechanisms that opened the crypts. The covers were made of gold, silver, and bronze, one metal for each Elder. Amelia's was gold, Niklaus' silver, and Erik's bronze. Inside the holes, placed upright, were the Elders' caskets. The coffins were topless and were built in a gothic-like design of mahogany. On the base and top of the wooden caskets, the carpenters had carved the Elder's initial that was to rest there. The initials were large, carved in a style that resembled Celtic, and were stained black.   
  
Amelia and Niklaus looked in at the tomb with mild satisfaction. They were both glad to be getting a chance to rest, since they had drained most of their energy over the four centuries that they had lived.  
  
"My Lord and Lady," a young Russian vampire named Abel said, appearing behind the Elders. He dropped to one knee in respect as they turned to him.  
  
Amelia recognized him as he rose when she got a good look at his face. It had been his mate a century ago that had given birth to the first child vampire. She had died shortly after the child was born, and the baby had followed her a few weeks later. She felt a twinge of sympathy for the young vampire who'd lost everything, and she found herself smiling at him gently.  
  
"What is it, Abel?" Niklaus asked, glancing sidelong at Amelia.  
  
"My Lord Erik has returned from Moscow, sir," Abel answered, keeping his eyes averted.  
  
"Good," Niklaus replied, brushing past Abel to go meet Erik.  
  
Amelia watched him go and turned to Abel. She laid a hand on his shoulder and smiled warmly at him when he looked up at her. She patted his shoulder reassuringly before following her mate upstairs to meet her brother.  
  
Abel stared after her with wide, confused brown eyes. He'd never expected to see such gentleness from a vampire, an Elder who was centuries older than him no less. He smiled slightly, despite himself, and followed the pair of Elders upstairs.  
  
"Within the next week, we had drafted a third set of Coven laws. The laws now included rules about the slumbering Elders and the Awakening ceremony that would take place every one hundred years. We also created the vampire Council.   
  
"The Council consisted of at least one vampire from each of our five Covens. Altogether, there were seven Council members. They were vampires of the highest regard in our society. If I remember correctly, they were Eva from L'viv, Abel from Moscow, Misao from Nagasaki, Charles and Nathalie from Marseille, and Adam and Sara from Budapest.  
  
"The Council was first stationed in L'viv where they were to assist the reigning Elder in making decisions and keeping him/her from gaining too much power over the other vampires.  
  
"At the end of the week, Erik and I went into our first slumber while Niklaus stayed awake to rule first.  
  
"My first slumber was wonderful. I hadn't rested that peacefully in four hundred years, and I fully enjoyed my two centuries of sleep while Erik and Niklaus wrecked havoc on the world."  
  
The entire Coven gathered in the tomb and fixed their eyes on Erik and the Council. The vampires watched with wide, curious eyes, since most of them had only seen one Awakening ceremony before.  
  
Erik took a deep breath and rose from his seat on the throne. He raised his hands to silence the vampires and quickly scanned their faces. "My fellow vampires and Council members," he began, lowering his hands. "As you know, it is the year 950, and according to the Covenant, it is time for the next Elder to rise."  
  
A cheer rose up amongst the vampires.  
  
"Silence!" Erik snapped, getting the vampires' immediate cooperation and attention. "It is time for me to awaken Amelia." He descended the two steps that led to the lowered floor where the crypts were and went directly to the gold crypt on the far right. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he knelt down beside the golden cover. He placed his fingers in the tiny holes surrounding the "A" and turned the rounded plate in a complete circle.  
  
The vampires all watched with interest as the mechanisms were started.  
  
The gold cover sank into the hole and broke into four curved pieces that disappeared into the floor around the hole. A moment later, an ornately carved Gothic-style casket rose up out of the hole.  
  
Erik turned the casket down onto its side on the gold posts that supported it. He went to the head of the coffin and looked in at decaying corpse of Amelia. He pursed his lips in concentration and pressed the small button on the side of the casket, watching the bar move from her chest to her mouth. He lifted his arm to his mouth, pushed his sleeve back, and bit down into his wrist. He positioned his bleeding arm over the funnel-like opening in the bar and let his blood drain into Amelia's open mouth.  
  
The blood coursed through all of her body and began to rejuvenate the long-dead cells. Memories flashed through her mind, Erik's memories, memories of what had happened over the past two hundred years that she had missed.  
  
Erik wiped the blood from his lips and put pressure on his wrist to help the already healing wound close up. He motioned for the Council to step forward, and he backed away, indicating that his part of the Awakening ceremony was over.  
  
The Council members took Amelia's casket from the posts that supported it and carried it to the room behind the throne. They set it down on the stone table right behind the throne, removing it from the other vampires' view.  
  
Eva walked over to the back of the room, where a closet stood, and opened the heavy wooden doors. She took Amelia's clothes from the closet and went back to the other Council members. She set the dress across the lower half of the casket and moved to help the other females, Misao, Nathalie, and Sara, sit Amelia up.  
  
The males stepped forward with their tools and began attaching the blood tubes to Amelia's back and arms. When they finished, they went back into the main chamber and waited patiently for the females to dress Amelia.  
  
Once the females had her dressed, they called to Erik.  
  
Erik hurried to the back room, afraid that something had gone wrong, and was met with the terrible sight of his sister's decayed form. "What is it?" he asked, tearing his eyes away from Amelia's body to look at the female Council members.  
  
"Would you be so kind as to carry her to the throne?" Eva wondered, flipping her caramel-colored hair out of her eyes.  
  
"Of course," Erik agreed after a moment's hesitation. He stepped forward and scooped Amelia up into his arms. He carried her around her casket and to the throne. He gently set her down in the stone chair and backed away from her, feeling sick at seeing her like that.  
  
"Are you ready to go back to sleep yet, my Lord?" the French Council member, Charles, asked.  
  
"No," Erik answered, looking at the Council. "I wish to speak to my sister when she fully awakens."  
  
"As you wish, my Lord," Charles replied, nodding to Erik. He turned to the other Council members and said something to them in French.  
  
Eva nodded and stepped forward. She turned to the gathered vampires and cleared her throat to get their attention. "Everyone, the Awakening ceremony has been completed," she announced, waiting for their cheers to end before continuing. "As you can see, the Elder Amelia has been awakened. She is weak from her sleep and must be left in peace until she is fully restored. No one is to enter the tomb unless they have permission from Erik or the Council. Is that clear?"  
  
The vampires all nodded in agreement and slowly filed out of the tomb.  
  
Eva smiled triumphantly and turned to Erik. "You may rest now if you wish, my Lord," she told him, seeing the exhausted look in his eyes.  
  
"Thank you," Erik replied, smiling gently at her. Eva was the oldest female vampire next to Amelia, and she had been turned by the Queen herself. He liked Eva. She had a gentle disposition and was usually the one to cheer everyone up when they were down. "I'll be in my chambers. No one is to bother me unless Amelia rouses to consciousness."  
  
Eva nodded in agreement and smiled reassuringly at him. She walked up to him and kissed his cheek lightly. "We'll look after her for you, my Lord," she said, patting his shoulder gently.  
  
Erik smiled gratefully at her and left the tomb to go to his rooms.  
  
Eva watched him leave before turning back to her fellow Council members. She smiled at them and looked up at Amelia.  
  
A knock sounded at Erik's door, rousing him from his troubled sleep. He slunk over to the doors and opened them to reveal Eva's smiling face. "What is it, Eva?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  
  
"I just came to let you know that Amelia is awake and waiting for you in the tomb," Eva answered, turning to walk away.  
  
"Thank you, Eva," Erik said, smiling slightly at her when she turned to face him. "Tell her that I'll be down in a minute, will you?"  
  
"Of course, my Lord," Eva agreed, nodding to him and walking back to the tomb.  
  
Erik hurriedly changed into his more formal clothes and hurried down the stairs to the tomb to meet with his sister. He walked into the tomb and froze momentarily as he saw her sitting there.  
  
Her appearance hadn't changed much since he'd seen her a few hours ago. She had filled out a little, so she didn't look so gaunt, but her skin still looked decayed, her hair appearing thin and lifeless. Her eyes were the same ice blue as his at the moment, and her breathing was slow and labored as if she was in pain.  
  
"Amelia," he called, hesitantly stepping forward.  
  
Amelia smiled weakly at him and motioned for him to come closer.  
  
Erik did as she wanted, noticing off-handedly that they were alone, and stopped just before the steps. "Amelia, I stayed awake so that I could explain to you in detail everything that has happened while you slept," he told her.  
  
"Proceed," Amelia said, swallowing hard.  
  
"Well, Niklaus did some things that I don't really agree with," Erik explained, lowering his gaze. "A few years before he awakened me, he violated our peace treaty and killed Kristof's mate, Lena." He paused when he heard Amelia's hoarse chuckle before continuing. "Kristof was so grief-stricken by her death… It was awful to see him like that… Anyway, Niklaus took advantage of his momentary weakness and enslaved the lycans." He looked up to see Amelia's reaction and was met with her questioning gaze. "The mortals are becoming more aware that we exist. They have been killing random people in the courtyards that they suspect of being vampires. They've so far only killed two real vampires, but it was still enough to cause Niklaus concern… So, he enslaved the lycans to be our protectors during the daylight hours. They stand guard around the castle during the day while we rest, so the mortals can't get to us."  
  
"I see," Amelia replied, thoughtfully.  
  
"When he awakened me, the lycans had already been "tamed" and were fully obedient to us," Erik continued. "We had a few rebellions during my reign, but the dogs were totally unprepared. We defeated them easily, so there is no need to worry about the lycans coming after you."  
  
Amelia smiled slightly at him and nodded in agreement. She swallowed again and leaned forward a little in her throne. "I appreciate you telling me all this, Erik," she told him, her face softening when he looked up at her. "Now, it is your time to sleep. I know that you are tired, my brother. I can see it in your face… Call forth the Council, and we will put you back to sleep."  
  
Erik nodded, knowing she was right, and summoned the Council.  
  
"Fifty years had passed by without much event before the first note-worthy lycan rebellion took place. It took us nearly three months to suppress the lycans before we finally stopped them.  
  
"We lost many of our best warriors to the rebellion, as did the lycans.  
  
"Shortly after the rebellion, most of the surviving lycans fled to avoid their punishment. The ones who stayed on were tortured and killed. It didn't matter to us if they hadn't taken part in the rebellion. We were simply out for revenge.   
  
"It only took us two weeks to exterminate every lycan in L'viv, and sadly, the leaders were not among them. My brother, Kristof, and his daughter, Loretta, had fled with the other survivors with their tails between their legs like the cowards they were.  
  
"We searched for them for twenty years, and my rage quickly grew with the passing decades until I began to kill anyone who wasn't doing something productive. I don't even know how many vampires I killed in those twenty years."  
  
The Council and soldiers were all gathered in the tomb, their eyes fixed on Amelia. They weren't entirely certain why she had called this meeting, but they weren't about to question her.  
  
Amelia rose from her throne, and her icy blue eyes swept over the group of vampires. "Viktor," she called, watching as the General stepped forward. "Have you found the fugitives yet?"  
  
"Not yet, my Lady," Viktor answered, bowing his head in shame.  
  
Amelia's face twisted in rage briefly, and her fists clenched slightly in anger. "That's it," she announced, stamping her foot in a child-like manner. "I have had enough of this game of cat and mouse… Viktor, double your efforts to find them. I want them here by the end of the month."  
  
"But, we haven't got the resources to do that, my Lady," Viktor told her, hoping that she wouldn't kill him for arguing.  
  
Amelia closed her eyes tightly to hide the flash of rage she knew had been there, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. "Then, go out and change some of the mortal soldiers," she ordered, descending the stairs to stop in front of him. "Take your strongest warriors with you and change as many soldiers as you need."  
  
"Yes, my Lady," Viktor agreed, nodding in agreement.  
  
Amelia turned to the Council and walked over to them. "Send word to all of the other Covens immediately," she told them. "Make sure they have warriors posted on every street in every country until we find those filthy lycans."  
  
"With all due respect, my Lady," Adam began, stepping forward. "I don't believe the lycans are stupid enough to move during the night. They know that we are looking for them, and they know that we can't go in the sunlight. They will move during the days, not the nights."  
  
"Then employ mortals to help us find them," Amelia replied, going back to her throne. "They outnumber us five to one. Why don't we use them to hunt the lycans during the daylight hours?… Offer to change them if they help us. Do whatever you have to. I don't care… I just want those lycans caught and brought here by the end of the month."  
  
"Yes, my Lady," Adam replied.  
  
The vampires all dropped to one knee in respect before leaving the tomb to carry out their orders.  
  
Amelia sat on her throne in the tomb, listening to one of the vampire doctors complain. She held her head in one hand, and her elbow rested on the arm of the throne. She was idly drumming her fingernails on the other armrest in boredom.  
  
"My Lady!" Viktor called, bursting into the tomb. He stopped beside the doctor and hastily knelt down before Amelia.  
  
"You had better have good news for me, Viktor," Amelia said, flatly.  
  
"I do, my Lady," Viktor replied, standing up again.  
  
Amelia motioned with her free hand for him to continue and watched him with lazy eyes.  
  
"The fugitives have been caught, my Lady," Viktor announced, proudly.  
  
"They have?" Amelia wondered, perking up a little.  
  
"Yes, my Lady," Viktor agreed, nodding to her. "They were caught trying to flee the continent. Their captors tell me that they were headed for Britain."  
  
"Britain!" Amelia exclaimed, standing up. "That's right. Kristof had a stronghold there. That's where they were going, back to Kristof's lair… Well done, Viktor." She smiled at him and walked up to him, stopping a few feet from him. "Have them brought here at once."  
  
"Yes, my Lady," Viktor replied, nodding. He turned from the Elder and hurried out of the room to have the message sent.  
  
Amelia hurried into the main hall and stopped before Viktor.  
  
"My Lady, the prisoners have arrived," Viktor told her, turning to the doors. He snapped his fingers, and four vampires dragged in two battered lycans.  
  
Amelia looked the pair over and stepped up to the one on the left, Kristof. She bent over so she was eye level with him and gently brushed the hair out of his face. "Kristof," she called, smiling at him when he looked up at her. "I had really hoped that it wouldn't come to this between us."  
  
Kristof hung his head to hide the anger in his eyes. "Your kind killed my mate," he whispered, his voice tight.  
  
"Yes, I was sorry to hear about that," Amelia told him, straightening. "But, then again, I never really liked Lena anyway."  
  
"Don't you dare talk about my mother that way, you monster," the other lycan, Loretta, growled, glaring defiantly at Amelia.  
  
Amelia turned to Loretta and fixed her cold blue eyes on the young lycan. "And what will you do if I don't stop?" she wondered, getting right in Loretta's face.  
  
Loretta's eyes narrowed, and she moved to spit in Amelia's face.  
  
Amelia saw her gather her spit and grabbed her by her throat, holding her just tight enough to not snap her neck. She waited for the vampires to release her before lifting her about a foot off the ground, reveling in the gagging sounds she was making. "Now, while I have your undivided attention, I want you to listen closely to what I have to tell you," she hissed, ignoring the sound of Kristof's struggles beside her. "I have good reason to hate your mother, little one… When I was young, she took your father away from me, and I was left alone again as the only immortal in Ukraine. She hated me for some unknown reason, and I despised her for taking my brother away from me… You're in pain now because of her. Because of her, our hatred of each other began. And… because of her… you're going to die." She promptly dropped Loretta and turned back to Kristof.  
  
"Amelia, you've turned into a monster," Kristof said, struggling to get to his daughter.  
  
Amelia knelt down before Kristof and smiled at him. "Well, that's not my fault, now, is it?" she wondered, brushing his hair out of his face. "You brought this on yourself."  
  
Kristof's eyes widened slightly, and he looked away.  
  
Amelia smiled at him again and kissed his cheek lightly before standing up. "Take them to the dungeon," she ordered, nodding to the four vampires that held the lycans. "And move the others down there as well."  
  
The vampires nodded in agreement and dragged the lycans downstairs to the dungeon.  
  
Nine years had passed since Kristof and his followers were imprisoned, and the vampires had been sure to make their lives miserable from then on.  
  
Amelia and the Council were in the meeting room, debating what they should do with the lycans.  
  
"I want them dead," Amelia announced, effectively ending the heated dispute between the Council members.  
  
"But… the leader is your brother, my Lady," Abel said, confused.  
  
"It makes no difference to me," Amelia replied, fixing her ice blue eyes on him. "He may be my brother, but he still helped kill dozens of our best warriors in his rebellion. He doesn't deserve to live any longer."  
  
"I agree that killing them would be best, but how would we do it?" Nathalie asked. "Lycans aren't like vampires. They can't just be bound and left for the sun like we can. So, how do we kill them?"  
  
"We kill them the same way we killed Sophia," Amelia answered, crossing her legs languidly. "We now know that lycans are allergic to silver, thanks to the research our doctors have done on the bodies of the dead ones."  
  
"So, how did we kill this Sophia?" Misao asked. She was not old enough to remember Sophia's execution.  
  
"We cut off her head, but that seems to quick a death for these lycans," Amelia replied, leaning forward in her chair.  
  
"They've been tortured for nine years already," Sara argued. "The least we could do is give them a quick death. They don't need to be beaten any more."  
  
"Look," Amelia began, standing up. "I don't care how we kill them. I just want them dead. You are free to decide on how to dispose of them." She turned from the Council and left the room.  
  
"By the end of that night, the Council had decided on a way to kill them, and the execution was set for the next night. I will remember that night for the rest of my life."  
  
Amelia stood at the edge of the granite courtyard, watching as the lycans were dragged in. She nodded to the vampire guards, and they chained the lycans down on their knees to the stone floor. In a brief moment of maliciousness, she blew a kiss at Kristof and waved slightly to him, receiving a cold, furious glare from him.  
  
The executioner stepped up from the group beside Amelia, and his cold eyes swept over the lycans. There were thirteen in all. "You are being charged with high treason against your masters," he began, glaring at the lycans. "You deliberately rebelled against the vampires and killed many of our warriors. You have been sentenced to execution. Do any of you mutts have any last words?"  
  
"I have something to say," Kristof spoke up, looking directly at Amelia. "Amelia, you will regret doing this one day."  
  
"And why would I regret this?" Amelia asked him, snorting arrogantly. "With you dead, the lycans have no leader. They will die out, and I will no longer have to deal with you mangy animals. So, tell me, brother, what could possibly make me regret this?"  
  
"Mark my words, Amelia," Kristof growled, glaring furiously at her. " This will come back to haunt you. One day, you'll learn what it means to feel true pain. You'll know how I felt when Niklaus killed Lena… Some day, when you have something that you really, truly love, my werewolves will snatch it away from you… You will know pain, and you will have no one to blame for it but yourself."  
  
Amelia hissed in rage and walked right up to him. She grabbed the executioner's sword and was about to cut Kristof's head from his body when a thought struck her. She lowered the sword and grabbed Kristof's chin in her free hand, forcing him to meet her eyes. "Before I kill you, I want you to suffer," she told him, smirking maliciously at him. She let him go and turned to the vampires assigned to carry out the executions. "Kill her and the others." She pointed to Loretta and the other eleven lycans beside her before turning back to the vampires. "Leave him." She nodded to Kristof, gave the executioner his sword back, and returned to her place at the edge of the courtyard.  
  
Kristof glared at her defiantly and growled at her in defense. His eyes widened at her smirk, and his head whipped around to see one of his lycans being whipped relentlessly with a silver whip. "No," he breathed, shocked that his sister was doing this. "NO!!!" He struggled futilely to get free of his chains, but the vampires held him back.  
  
Amelia watched with growing amusement as his eleven followers were killed one by one before the executioner got to Loretta.  
  
Loretta met his eyes defiantly and growled at him in anger. Her long brown hair was a mess, matted with dirt and straw from the dungeon, but her blue-gray eyes were clear and flaming in barely contained fury. She looked so much like Lena, despite her haggard appearance.  
  
Amelia's amusement was cut short as Loretta died and Kristof began to yell at her.  
  
"Amelia, I'll kill you!" Kristof screamed, tears rolling down his cheeks. "You won't live to see the day when you feel my pain! You're going to die right NOW!!!" He pulled harder on his restraints in his struggle to reach the vampire Elder. "I'm going to kill you for what you've done to me!"  
  
At that point, Amelia's patience snapped, and with it, her anger peaked. She walked over to him, stopping right in front of him and knelt down before Kristof, meeting his enraged glare. "You want to kill me, do you?" she wondered, sarcastically.   
  
Kristof snapped at her with his fangs in response and gagged as her hand lashed out and caught his throat. He looked back up at her, and his eyes widened when he saw the tears sliding down her cheeks. He couldn't tell if they were tears of rage or sorrow, but he didn't care. For a split second, she was once again the little girl that had been the jewel of his father's eye, the little girl he had loved with all his heart, the little girl he would have done anything for. She was once again Amelia, his beloved baby sister.  
  
"What are you smiling at?" Amelia asked, her voice tight with her tears. She clamped down harder on his neck and watched his eyes roll back in his head. She gritted her teeth, angry that he wasn't answering her, and tightened her grip until she heard his neck snap. She promptly let him go and watched him collapse onto the stone.  
  
Before she even realized what she was doing, she had taken the executioner's sword again and had sliced off Kristof's head. She snapped out of her trance when she felt his severed head hit her bare foot, and she looked down at it. She jumped back in surprise and backed away from her brother's bleeding body. She dropped the sword and shook her head slightly in horror and disbelief at what she had just done, her eyes fading back to their natural blue-gray color.  
  
"My Lady?" Adam called, stepping forward.  
  
Amelia couldn't tear her eyes away from her brother's body, and she began muttering incoherent phrases under her breath. She jumped when she felt Eva's comforting hands on her shoulders, and she looked over at the vampiress beside her.  
  
Eva smiled warmly at Amelia and wrapped her arm around the Elder's shoulders, hugging her gently. She was pleased when Amelia leaned into her and began to sob silently into her shoulder. "I'll take her back to her rooms," she announced. "No one is to bother her until I say so. Is that understood?"  
  
The gathered vampires nodded, not quite understanding what was wrong with their leader.  
  
"Good," Eva said, turning to the executioner. "Get those bodies out of here, will you?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am," the executioner replied, nodding in agreement.  
  
Eva smiled at him and led Amelia back inside. She took the Elder upstairs to her rooms and set her down on her bed. "Are you going to be all right in here by yourself?" she asked, kneeling down into Amelia's view.  
  
Amelia nodded slightly and managed a weak smile for Eva. "Thank you, Eva," she whispered. "I really appreciate you getting me out of there… I… I don't know how much more of that I could have taken."  
  
"It was nothing, my Lady," Eva told her, patting her knee reassuringly as she stood. She kissed Amelia's forehead and went back to the doors to leave. "I'll come by later to check on you and bring you something to eat."  
  
Amelia nodded weakly and watched Eva leave before lying down on her bed.  
  
"My brother's death shook me to my very core. I wasn't completely back to normal until about two months after his execution, and I found that I couldn't wait to go back to sleep.  
  
"I was disgusted with myself over what I had done, and I couldn't seem to get his last words, his promise of regret, out of my mind. They haunted my every waking hour, and he haunted my dreams while I slept.   
  
"Eva was very kind to me during this time, and she became my closest friend. She took care of me those first few days while I was incoherent and horrified, and she comforted me when I cried for him in the later days.  
  
"I quickly found that I wanted nothing more to be in Niklaus' arms and have him comfort me and tell me everything would be all right.  
  
"I got my wish in 1050 when I awakened him. I told him everything that had happened, even though he already knew, and he held me and consoled me until I went back into my slumber, leaving him to rule." 


	9. Sanyi & Sonia

"It was over the next two centuries that our blood feud truly began.  
  
"During Niklaus' reign, the vampires killed Kristof's son, Laszlo, after he tried to lead a rebellion against the  
  
vampires in France. A lycan named Lukacs took his place as alpha, and that's when we made our first mistake.  
  
"We underestimated Lukacs' ability to rule and fight. He led a rebellion against the vampires in L'viv and  
  
somehow managed to defeat us. He and the surviving lycans fled to Germany, where they built yet another  
  
stronghold.   
  
"The lycans then began to kill random vampires on the streets whenever they saw them. I believe we lost a total of  
  
twenty-one vampires before we retaliated.  
  
"In late 1144, the lycans caught four of our Council members in Paris and killed them. The members were Abel,  
  
Misao, Charles, and Sara. They were promptly replaced, but their deaths infuriated Niklaus.  
  
"It was then that our war officially started.  
  
"When Niklaus awakened Erik in 1150, we were on the losing side of the war. Erik sought to change that. He was  
  
a much better strategist and warrior than Niklaus, and he believed that he could tip the scales in our favor.  
  
"A young lieutenant from Morocco named Mael was turned by Adam in early 1220, and he brought with him new  
  
battle strategies and better weapons. He helped us win our first battle against the lycans, and Erik appointed him  
  
as General of our warriors.  
  
"Twenty-five years later, Erik and Mael created an elite fighting team specifically designed to kill lycans  
  
appropriately named the Death Dealers, and Mael was placed in charge of training them.  
  
"That same year, the French regent, Jakob, was killed in a street brawl with the lycans. He was immediately  
  
replaced by a younger vampire named Louis.  
  
"When I was awoken 1250, the war was under our control. We were winning battles with the Death Dealers, and  
  
the lycans eventually stopped attacking us so frequently."  
  
The entire Coven gathered in the tomb and fixed their eyes on Amelia and the Council. The younger vampires  
  
watched with wide, curious eyes, since most of them had never seen an Awakening ceremony before.  
  
Amelia took a deep breath and rose from her seat on the throne. She raised her hands to silence the vampires and  
  
quickly scanned their faces. "My fellow vampires and Council members," she began, lowering her hands. "As you  
  
know, it is the year 1350, and according to the Covenant, it is time for the next Elder to rise."  
  
A cheer rose up amongst the vampires.  
  
"Silence!" Amelia snapped, getting the vampires' immediate cooperation and attention. "It is time for me to  
  
awaken Niklaus." She descended the two steps that led to the lowered floor where the crypts were and went  
  
directly to the silver crypt on the far right. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she knelt down beside the silver  
  
cover. She placed her fingers in the tiny holes surrounding the "N" and turned the rounded plate in a complete  
  
circle.  
  
The vampires all watched with interest as the mechanisms of the crypt were started.  
  
The silver cover sank into the hole and broke into four curved pieces that disappeared into the floor around the  
  
hole. A moment later, an ornately carved Gothic-style casket rose up out of the hole.  
  
Amelia turned the casket down onto its side on the silver posts that supported it. She went to the head of the  
  
coffin and looked in at decaying corpse of Niklaus. She pursed her lips and pressed the small button on the side of  
  
the casket, watching the bar move from his chest to his mouth. She lifted her arm to her mouth, pushed her sleeve  
  
back, and bit down into her wrist. She positioned her bleeding arm over the funnel-like opening in the bar and let  
  
her blood drain into Niklaus' open mouth.  
  
The blood coursed through all of his body and began to rejuvenate the long-dead cells. Memories flashed through  
  
his mind, Amelia's memories, memories of what had happened over the past two hundred years that he had  
  
missed.  
  
Amelia wiped the blood from her lips and put pressure on her wrist to help the already healing wound close up.  
  
She motioned for the Council to step forward, and she backed away, indicating that her part of the Awakening  
  
ceremony was over.  
  
The Council members took Niklaus' casket from the posts that supported it and carried it to the room behind the  
  
throne. They set it down on the stone table right behind the throne, removing it from the other vampires' view.  
  
Soujiro, the new Council member from Nagasaki, went to the closet to get Niklaus' clothes. When he came back,  
  
he found Amelia standing at the head of Niklaus' casket. He shook his head at the longing look in her eyes and  
  
laid the cloak over the lower half of the coffin. He looked over at Eva and nodded to Amelia.  
  
Eva nodded in agreement and went to the older female's side. She touched her shoulder gently and smiled at her  
  
when she looked up at her. "My Lady, would you kindly leave us to our work?" she asked, sweetly.  
  
Amelia studied her for a moment before nodding in agreement.  
  
Eva took hold of Amelia by her elbows and led her back to the main tomb. She smiled warmly at her and left her  
  
to help the Council finish with Niklaus.  
  
Amelia held her elbows in her hands and stole quick glances behind her at the Council and Niklaus.  
  
A few minutes later, the Council stepped forward. They parted on the stairs and turned to watch Matyas, the new  
  
Council member from Moscow, set Niklaus on the throne. Once that was accomplished, they turned to Amelia.  
  
"My Lady, do you wish to sleep now?" Adam asked.  
  
Amelia looked at the Council and shook her head. "No," she replied, looking back at Niklaus. "I want to stay  
  
awake until he rouses fully from his slumber." She walked over to the throne and sat down beside Niklaus' legs,  
  
curling her legs underneath her. She rested her hands on his right knee and fixed her eyes on his face.  
  
Eva smiled knowingly at her and turned to the gathered vampires. "Everyone, the Awakening ceremony has been  
  
completed," she announced, waiting for their cheers to end before continuing. "As you can see, the Elder Niklaus  
  
has been awakened. He is weak from his sleep and must be left in peace until he is fully restored. No one is to  
  
enter the tomb unless they have permission from the Council. Is that clear?"  
  
The vampires all nodded in agreement and slowly filed out of the tomb.  
  
Eva smiled triumphantly and turned to Amelia. "We will leave you in peace now, my Lady," she told her, smiling  
  
at the Elder.  
  
Amelia tore her eyes from Niklaus to look up at the Council members. She smiled gently at them and nodded in  
  
agreement with Eva's statement.  
  
The Council members bowed their heads to her and left the room.  
  
There was something on his hand… Something soft… and familiar… Niklaus slowly opened his eyes and looked  
  
down at his lap. He smiled in relief as he saw the back of Amelia's head. He slowly lifted his hand from his leg  
  
and rested it on her head, stroking her black curls lovingly.  
  
Amelia opened her eyes the second she felt the contact, but she stayed right where she was, not wanting to distract  
  
him yet. After a moment, she shifted slightly to get more comfortable and lifted her head to meet his eyes. She  
  
smiled warmly at him and rested her chin on her hands.  
  
Niklaus returned the smile, though it looked grotesque on his decayed lips, and dropped his hand from her hair to  
  
his leg, leaning his head back on the throne and closing his eyes. He let out a shaky breath and opened his eyes  
  
again to look down at her.  
  
"You can rest now if you like," Amelia told him, reaching up to stroke his cheek with her hand. "I'll watch over  
  
you."  
  
Niklaus reached up and took her hand in his, meeting her eyes squarely.  
  
"Don't worry," Amelia said, smiling at him. "I'll be here when you wake up again."  
  
Niklaus smiled in relief and kissed her palm gently before setting it back on his leg. He closed his eyes again and  
  
fell asleep almost instantly.  
  
Amelia smiled gently at him and rested her head back on his knee to rest some more.  
  
100 Years Later…  
  
Amelia's icy blue eyes fluttered open, and she quickly scanned the tomb for any sign of other vampires. She  
  
sensed someone beside her and looked to her right to see Erik propped up in an old wooden chair, her eyes  
  
widening as she saw him. She looked up sharply as she heard the sliding doors to the tomb open, and she was met  
  
with yet another surprise. Niklaus.  
  
"Amelia, you're awake," Niklaus noted, walking up to her. He wordlessly went around behind her and quickly  
  
checked the blood tubes to make sure that everything was all right. He checked Erik's tubes as well before going  
  
back around to face Amelia. He knelt down before her and placed his hands on her knee, fixing his icy eyes on  
  
hers.  
  
"Niklaus, why am I awake?" Amelia asked, confused. "It's not my time to rise."  
  
"The Council and I thought it would be best if all three Elders were awake from now on," Niklaus answered. "Or  
  
at least until the war ends." He tenderly brushed the listless curls from her face and smiled at her before  
  
continuing. "The war is becoming more perilous for us, and we feared for the safety of our sleeping Elders. We  
  
felt it would be safer for all three of us if we were all awake."  
  
Amelia stared at him in surprise for a moment before sighing in defeat. "I forgive you for this," she whispered,  
  
leaning her head back on her throne.   
  
"Wonderful," Niklaus said, smiling at her and standing up. He was about to leave when she spoke up again.  
  
"Niklaus," she called.  
  
"Yes?" he replied, turning to her.  
  
"Stay with me?" she asked, fighting to keep her eyes open.  
  
Niklaus smiled warmly at her and took a seat beside her throne. He laid his hands on her knee and rested his chin  
  
against the backs of his hands. He watched her closely until she fell asleep again before closing his eyes and  
  
allowing himself to doze off as well.  
  
Erik stood to the left side of the throne room and pulled on his cloak. He turned to face Amelia, who sat on the  
  
throne, and moved to sit on the armrest beside her.  
  
Amelia promptly moved her elbows so he could sit and let him wrap his arm around her shoulders. She smiled up  
  
at him and looked over at the doors as she heard them slide open. Her face brightened immediately, and she  
  
rushed over toward the doors to meet Niklaus. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.  
  
Niklaus instinctively returned the embrace and buried his face in her hair, nuzzling her neck gently.  
  
Erik glared at Niklaus and cleared his throat to get their attention.  
  
Amelia released Niklaus and half-turned to look at her brother. She smiled at him, took Niklaus' hand, and led  
  
him over to the throne where Erik now sat.  
  
"Were you planning on explaining yourself or not?" Erik asked, bitterly.  
  
"Now, Erik," Amelia scolded, smiling at him. "I'm sure Niklaus has a perfectly good explanation for everything."  
  
Erik rolled his eyes in irritation and gave Niklaus an expectant look.  
  
Niklaus sighed heavily before beginning his explanation. "Shortly after Amelia woke me, we received word that  
  
the lycans had moved to a new stronghold in Hungary. We're not sure exactly where in Hungary, but we know  
  
that it's there somewhere. I placed Mael in charge of our Death Dealers, and he's been doing a fine job. He sent  
  
spies to the Ukrainian stronghold, and we've destroyed it. The few lycans that survived fled to Hungary.   
  
"We had the Council re-stationed in Budapest a few years later. I urgently needed to speak with them, so I placed  
  
Jozsef in charge of this Coven while I traveled to Budapest to speak to them. Shortly after I left L'viv, the lycans  
  
destroyed the Coven in Nagasaki. They left no survivors. I brought the Council back here with me, and we  
  
decided to awaken both of you."  
  
"So, what are we planning to do now?" Erik wondered, fixing his cold eyes on Niklaus. He was suspicious of the  
  
older vampire's motives even though he'd just explained everything.  
  
"We were planning on having a meeting with the Council to discuss what we do next with the war," Niklaus  
  
answered.  
  
"That sounds like a good idea," Amelia replied, standing up. She went to Niklaus' side and took his hand in hers.  
  
She turned back to Erik and smiled at him in exasperation. "Come on, Erik. Everything will be fine. Does it really  
  
matter if all three of us are awake?"  
  
Erik started to answer but decided against it and lowered his gaze to the floor.  
  
"That's what I thought," Amelia said, nodding once in agreement with herself. "Come, Erik, Niklaus. Let's go  
  
meet with the Council." With that, she headed upstairs to the meeting room, dragging Niklaus along by his hand  
  
behind her.  
  
Erik sighed in defeat and followed them upstairs.  
  
"At that meeting, we wrote and signed our fourth set of Coven laws, which were immediately put into place.   
  
"Shortly after that meeting, we had Mael send a troop of Death Dealers to Dresden, Germany, where the lycan  
  
stronghold was.  
  
"Two years after the arrival of our Dealers in Dresden, the fighting broke out. It was the first official and the  
  
bloodiest battle of the war, the Battle of Dresden."  
  
After five years of fighting in Dresden, the Elders had finally decided to take a look for themselves, mostly at  
  
Amelia's insistence.  
  
The three vampire Elders sat atop their horses on a hill overlooking the lycan stronghold. They could hear the  
  
fighting that was only a few miles from them, and it didn't sound like it was going well for the vampires. They  
  
had been sitting there for hours, simply listening as the battle raged on.  
  
Amelia caught a fleeting glimpse of fleeing figures, lycans she assumed, and her horse began to back away in  
  
fear. She leaned forward in her saddle and gently stroked the mare's smooth black neck, seeking to calm her.  
  
When the mare was finally steady, she pressed a soft kiss to her neck and sat back in her saddle, fixing her soft,  
  
blue-gray eyes on the lycan fortress.  
  
Niklaus and Erik looked over at her in confusion before they both heard something in the woods behind them.  
  
They whipped their heads around to scan the trees, but they neither saw nor smelled anything.  
  
Just as they turned back to the stronghold, all three horses reared and threw them.  
  
Four large lycans in full lupine form stepped out of the shadows and closed in on the Elders, snarling viciously at  
  
them.  
  
The Elders stood up, and Erik and Niklaus moved to protect Amelia. To their shock, Amelia pushed aside their  
  
efforts and took a step forward.   
  
The lycan in front of her roared at her, saliva dripping from its fangs.  
  
Amelia was completely unfazed by this challenge and promptly hissed at the lycan, her eyes turning ice blue.  
  
All four lycans took a threatening step closer to them, clearly not afraid of the Elders. Either they didn't know the  
  
three were the vampire Elders, or they simply didn't care.  
  
Amelia's fists clenched in anger, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. She saw Erik and Niklaus each take  
  
on a lycan out of the corner of her eye, and she turned back to the remaining two, who now stood in front of her.  
  
Both werewolves snarled at her and took yet another step closer to her, both of them thinking she was just a  
  
helpless female.  
  
Unfortunately for them, Amelia overheard that thought, and her rage skyrocketed. She unclenched her fists and  
  
dropped her hands to her sides, glaring at the lycans.   
  
One of the lycans leapt at her, and she turned her palm to it. It instantly burst into flames and fell to the ground,  
  
writhing and screeching in pain.  
  
The other lycan watched the flaming, flailing corpse at its feet before turning its fury on Amelia. It charged her,  
  
only to suffer the same fate as its fallen comrade.  
  
Amelia then turned to Erik and Niklaus and was pleased to see that the lycans were still alive. She immediately  
  
raised her arms slightly, and both of the lycans burst into flame.  
  
The male Elders jumped away from the smoldering bodies and turned their surprised eyes on Amelia. Through  
  
the flames, they could see her face clearly, and their shock only grew.  
  
Amelia's eyes were glowing ice blue as she stared down at the burning lycans at her feet, and they could see the  
  
bloodlust in her gaze. She almost appeared to be laughing at their fates, and her fangs had grown to an abnormal  
  
length, even for a vampire.  
  
In a blink of her eyes, the look was gone, and she was back to normal.  
  
"Amelia," Niklaus called, cautiously stepping closer to her. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Yeah," Amelia agreed, holding her head in one hand. "I think I'm all right now."  
  
Niklaus and Erik sighed in relief and smiled at her. Little did they know that they would see much more of  
  
Amelia's frightening power in the centuries to come.  
  
"That was the first time I'd ever actually used my strength to its full advantage. I hadn't been able to control  
  
myself when I set those last two on fire. Though now I have no trouble controlling my urges to set things aflame, I  
  
didn't have much knowledge or control over it back then.  
  
"Needless to say, no more lycans attacked us that night. They could smell the smoking flesh of their fallen  
  
comrades, and they were smart enough to stay away.  
  
"Our horses had fled when the lycans had appeared, so we simply sat down on the grass to watch the rest of the  
  
fight, which wasn't much.   
  
"Shortly after I'd killed the lycans, the battle ended, and the lycan fortress went up in flames. Both Erik and  
  
Niklaus had looked at me, thinking I'd done it.  
  
"We watched the fortress burn until Mael and several other Death Dealers approached us with three unconscious  
  
lycans in their grasp. They were the alpha male, his mate, and the beta male. We took them back to L'viv with us  
  
and imprisoned them immediately, but we didn't get to their trials until two years later."  
  
Amelia and Niklaus lay side by side in their bed, sound asleep. Niklaus' arm was draped across Amelia's waist,  
  
holding her to his chest. His face was pressed against the back of her neck, his lips just barely touching her skin.  
  
A sharp wail sounded from across the room, and Amelia moved to get up, but Niklaus held her down. He met her  
  
eyes when she looked over her shoulder at him in confusion and surprise. "I'll go," he whispered into her ear,  
  
kissing her neck lightly. He slipped out of bed and walked over to the cradle on the other side of the room,  
  
hearing Amelia sit up in bed to watch him. He reached in and lifted the squirming infant from the bed.  
  
Amelia watched him from her spot on the bed with soft eyes and a smile on her face.   
  
Niklaus settled the sobbing baby against his shoulder and began to rub his back soothingly. He pressed a light kiss  
  
to the top of his son's blonde head and turned to go back to his own bed, meeting Amelia's eyes. He smiled at her  
  
and walked over to where she sat, resting his cheek on his baby's warm head. He eased himself down beside her  
  
and continued to rub the baby's back to calm him down.  
  
Amelia scooted closer to him and ran the back of her hand along the boy's round, little cheek, smiling at him.  
  
The baby opened his clear, blue-gray eyes and looked up at Niklaus before turning his candid gaze on Amelia. He  
  
began to cry again when he saw her and tried to get away from Niklaus.  
  
Amelia shook her head and took her baby from her mate. She kissed the thin flesh of his forehead and settled him  
  
in her lap. She lifted her arm to her lips and bit down into her wrist. She propped the infant up with one arm and  
  
held her bleeding arm up to his mouth.  
  
The baby instantly latched on to her wrist and began to suckle. He opened his crystalline eyes again and met  
  
Amelia's gaze.  
  
Niklaus watched Amelia feed their son for a few minutes before he gently pried her wrist from the child's mouth,  
  
sensing that she was losing strength. He fixed his eyes on hers and put pressure on the wound, helping it close up.  
  
When Niklaus let go of her arm, Amelia wiped the blood off her son's lips with her thumb and lifted him to her  
  
shoulder. She settled him against her chest and began to rub his back, humming a soft tune to lull him back to  
  
sleep.  
  
The boy kept his eyes open and fixed on his mother's face as long as he could, fighting off the tug of sleep.  
  
Eventually, the tug won out, and he closed his eyes. His little body fell limp against Amelia's shoulder, and his  
  
breathing slowed and evened out, indicating that he was sound asleep again.  
  
Amelia kissed his cheek and moved to get out of bed to put him back in his cradle.   
  
Niklaus stopped her and gently pushed her back down by her shoulders. He smiled at her and took the infant from  
  
her arms. He took the child over to the cradle and laid him down on his back. Covering him with the thin blue  
  
blankets, he kissed his forehead and rested his hand on his tiny chest. "Sleep well, Sanyi," he whispered, leaving  
  
his son to go back to Amelia.  
  
"Shortly after Sanyi's birth, we held the trial of the leaders from Dresden that we had captured. They were found  
  
guilty of war crimes, and they were sentenced to execution.  
  
"Because of what I'd done to Kristof, I didn't think I could handle the execution. I had stayed inside with Eva and  
  
Sanyi while the lycans were being killed.  
  
"We had eleven peaceful years after that with only a few little skirmishes here and there."  
  
Amelia hurried down the stairs and to the weapons room with Sanyi in tow. She dragged him along behind her as  
  
she headed towards the back room. She burst through the double doors and quickly scanned the room for anyone  
  
that could possibly help her. She spotted Mael in the storage room and sighed in relief as she rushed over to him.  
  
"Mael," she called, stopping in front of his desk.  
  
Mael turned around and, seeing her, dropped to one knee in respect. "Yes, my Lady?" he wondered, standing up  
  
again.  
  
"I have a huge favor to ask of you," Amelia said, slightly out of breath.  
  
"I'll do what I can," Mael replied, smiling gently at her.  
  
"This is going to seem odd," Amelia explained. "But I'm late for our meeting with the Council, and I don't know  
  
who else to ask."  
  
"What did you need, my Lady?" Mael prodded, slightly exasperated with her.  
  
"Will you look after Sanyi for me until our meeting is finished?" Amelia asked, pulling Sanyi out to stand in front  
  
of her.  
  
"I won't be any trouble, Mr. Mael," Sanyi said, shaking his head vigorously. "Honest."  
  
"Sure," Mael agreed, smiling at Amelia. "I don't mind watching him for a little while."  
  
"You don't?" Amelia breathed, relief washing over her. "Oh, thank you so much, Mael." She let go of Sanyi's  
  
hand and kissed Mael's cheek in gratitude before kneeling down before her son. "You be good for Mael. Don't  
  
touch anything, and stay out of his way."  
  
Sanyi nodded in agreement and smiled reassuringly at her. "I'll be good, Mom," he told her.  
  
Amelia smiled at him and kissed his forehead gently. "Thanks again, Mael," she said, hurrying back to the  
  
meeting room.  
  
Mael shook his head at her as she disappeared and looked down at Sanyi.   
  
The boy was quite small for his age. The top of his head only reached to Mael's stomach, and he was very skinny.  
  
His blonde hair fell in tight curls to about his shoulders and was tied back into a low ponytail at the base of his  
  
skull. His face was still round and soft with his childhood, and his small nose was dotted with a cluster of faint  
  
freckles. He turned his large, innocent blue-gray eyes up on Mael, and he smiled slightly at him, showing his  
  
perfect, white fangs.  
  
Mael had only met the boy a few times but had already gotten a bit of a soft spot for him, just as all the other  
  
vampires had. He returned the smile and ruffled Sanyi's hair affectionately. He turned away from the eleven-year-  
  
old and walked back over to the wall that stored all the weapons.  
  
Sanyi watched him pick up a curved katana, and his curiosity was spurred. He hesitantly walked over to where  
  
Mael sat at the desk, and he fixed his eyes on the sword the Dealer was cleaning. "What's that called?" he asked  
  
after a moment, pointing to the sword.  
  
"It's called a katana," Mael answered, smiling down at the boy. "It's a Japanese samurai sword. We had them  
  
imported from Japan when we had a Coven there. As a matter of fact, Soujiro, the Council member from Japan,  
  
was a samurai before he was turned. He taught me Bushido."  
  
"Bushido?" Sanyi wondered, curious.  
  
"It's what they call swordsmanship in Japan," Mael replied.  
  
"Cool," Sanyi breathed, fixing his amazed eyes on the shiny blade again.  
  
Mael saw the longing look in the boy's eyes, and he stopped cleaning the sword, turning to Sanyi. "Would you  
  
like to learn?"  
  
"Could I?"  
  
"Sure you can. I'm sure your mom won't mind you learning how to defend yourself. It'll give you something to do  
  
during the day too. How does that sound to you?"  
  
"That sounds great!"  
  
"Good." Mael chuckled slightly at Sanyi's enthusiasm and stood up. "Why don't we go get started now?"  
  
"Yeah!" Sanyi rushed out into the next room and stopped to wait for Mael.  
  
"Follow me," Mael ordered, walking off toward the training area. Once there, he walked over to the wall and took  
  
down two wooden swords. He tossed one to Sanyi and swung the other one a few times experimentally. "You  
  
ready?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Sanyi had been so excited about learning Bushido that neither Niklaus or I could tell him no. He spent about two  
  
hours every day with Mael practicing, and I found that I was glad to see him enjoying something enough to  
  
continue with it.  
  
"Our fifth and final set of Coven laws was written and signed during our meeting that a few months later before  
  
disaster struck.  
  
"We had been in the middle of our Council meeting when Mael had interrupted us with news that the lycans had  
  
attacked our Coven in Oxford.  
  
"Sanyi was sad to see Mael go away to Oxford, but he had promised to train hard with Soujiro while he was gone.  
  
"The ten year Battle of Oxford had begun. Its end proved to be a turning point in our war."  
  
"Mother, Father, Uncle Erik!" Sanyi called, rushing into the main hall. "I want to show you something."  
  
Amelia looked at Niklaus and her brother and shrugged, standing up from her seat. She followed Sanyi into the  
  
training area with Niklaus and Erik at her side. She nodded to Soujiro, who stood in the middle of the room, and  
  
sat down in the place Sanyi presented to her. "What's this all about, Sanyi?" she asked, watching him turn to join  
  
Soujiro.  
  
"I want to show you what I've learned," Sanyi answered, jogging over to where Soujiro stood.  
  
Amelia glanced over at Niklaus suspiciously, but he only shrugged nonchalantly, fixing his eyes on Sanyi and  
  
Soujiro. Erik simply smiled knowingly when she looked at him.  
  
Sanyi and Soujiro bowed low to each other, and the former dropped to a stance.  
  
Soujiro grinned at his opponent and placed his hands behind his head. He balanced himself on his right foot and  
  
began to idly tap his left toes on the floor. "Here I come," he announced, taking a small jump into the air. He  
  
landed and vanished, running top speed at Sanyi. Just before he reached the younger vampire, he reached for the  
  
sword hanging at his side.  
  
Sanyi responded by reaching for his own sword.   
  
They drew at the same instant and skidded away from each other. Sanyi was still dropped to his stance, while  
  
Soujiro knelt on one knee on the floor.  
  
Soujiro stood up and turned to Sanyi. "You've finally learned how to counter the Shukuchi," he said, smiling.  
  
"I'm impressed."  
  
Sanyi didn't answer but did return Soujiro's smile. He straightened and turned to face his opponent.  
  
They were just about to continue when the doors burst open.  
  
The Elders stood up quickly and looked over at the doors to see who'd interrupted them.  
  
Mael entered with Jozsef, and they both dropped to one knee before the Elders in respect.  
  
"What are you doing here, Mael?" Niklaus asked, irritated.  
  
"I've come to inform you that the Battle of Oxford has been won," Mael answered, smiling at the Elders.  
  
"What happened?" Sanyi wondered, appearing beside Niklaus.  
  
"Lukacs has been killed," Mael replied, nodding to Sanyi.  
  
"Really?" Amelia asked, finding that hard to believe.  
  
Jozsef stepped forward then and held out his hand to the Elders.  
  
Niklaus took the object from his hand and carefully examined it, looking back up at Jozsef when he didn't  
  
recognize what it was.  
  
"It's the branded skin from Lukacs' arm," Jozsef told them, proudly.  
  
"You killed him, Jozsef?" Sanyi asked, suspiciously. He knew that Jozsef wasn't very strong, so he didn't really  
  
believe that he'd killed the infamous lycan leader.  
  
"I did," Jozsef agreed, nodding to Sanyi.  
  
"This is wonderful news!" Niklaus exclaimed, clapping Jozsef on the back. "Come with me, Jozsef." He led the  
  
vampire regent from the room, leaving Amelia, Erik, Mael, Sanyi, and Soujiro.  
  
Amelia gave the others a sympathetic look before following along behind them, Sanyi and Erik falling in behind  
  
her.  
  
"Lukacs' death was promptly announced to the entire Coven, and Niklaus rewarded Jozsef with the regent  
  
position in Budapest.  
  
"Lycan activity severely diminished after the announcement of Lukacs' demise, but it didn't stop entirely. It  
  
wouldn't be until later that we would learn why.  
  
"Thirty years after Lukacs' supposed death, Sanyi began training as a Death Dealer. He was by far the youngest of  
  
the new recruits at fifty-one. He excelled greatly in his training and became an official Dealer in 1520.   
  
"It would be three years later after Sanyi's first mission as a Death Dealer that Kristof's dying promise would  
  
finally be fulfilled."  
  
Amelia, Niklaus, and Erik stood at the base of the stairs, patiently awaiting the arrival of the Death Dealers.  
  
Amelia held Niklaus' elbow with one hand, and she was staring at the front doors, anxiously. Niklaus and Erik  
  
were silent beside her, watching the doors as well.  
  
Amelia looked up at Niklaus and bit her lip lightly, mindful of her fangs. "Do you think he's okay?" she asked,  
  
nervously.  
  
"He'll be fine, Amelia," Niklaus answered, turning to her. He patted her hand reassuringly and smiled at her.  
  
"He was trained well," Erik added, smiling at her as well. "He's a very good fighter. He'll be all right."  
  
Amelia nodded mechanically and fixed her eyes on the front doors again.  
  
A few more minutes passed before the Death Dealers arrived. They came through the front doors slowly with  
  
Mael in the lead.  
  
All of their heads were down which worried Amelia to no end. She released Niklaus' arm and took a small step  
  
closer to the Dealers. "What happened, Mael?" she asked, her voice wavering.  
  
Mael met her eyes briefly before looking back down at the floor in shame. "Sanyi…" he began, unable to bring  
  
himself to tell her. "Sanyi…"  
  
"What about Sanyi?" Amelia wondered, getting frightened immediately. "What happened to him? Please tell me  
  
he's okay."  
  
"He… he… fell…" Mael finally said, his voice tight in his sorrow. He'd been very fond of the young vampire  
  
prince and treated him like he was one of his own.  
  
"He fell?" Amelia repeated, her voice catching.  
  
Mael nodded and presented a battered dog collar.  
  
Amelia's vision blurred with tears as she reached out to touch the collar. She let out a choked sob and ran outside  
  
into the torrenting rain, pushing the Death Dealers out of the way. She covered her mouth with one hand and held  
  
the railing of the porch with the other for balance. After a moment of fighting her tears, she collapsed to her  
  
knees and buried her face in her hands, sobbing freely.  
  
Niklaus watched her for a moment before taking the collar from Mael's hand. He wiped the dirt from the tag and  
  
read the name. Pooka. His eyes brimmed with tears as he remembered how heart-broken Sanyi had been when his  
  
childhood pet, Pooka, had died. He had insisted on keeping the collar and had taken it everywhere with him.  
  
"How did it happen?" he asked, knowing he would have to tell Amelia later when she wanted to know.  
  
"We were in an alley when the lycans snuck up on us," Mael explained, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor. "He  
  
heard them coming and pushed me out of the way just before the lycan attacked me. He in turn got stabbed in the  
  
chest… He saved my life in exchange for his own… He died a hero if that is of any consolation to you, my Lord."  
  
Niklaus nodded slowly and pursed his lips to hold back his tears, clutching the dog collar in his hand. "Did you  
  
bury him?" he wondered.  
  
"Yes," Mael answered. "We buried him under the oak tree he used to play in when he was young right by… his  
  
dog."  
  
Niklaus nodded in agreement with that place and looked out at Amelia. "I'd better bring her in out of the rain,"  
  
he said, brushing past Mael to go to Amelia's side.   
  
Erik laid a reassuring hand on Mael's shoulder and smiled gently at him when he looked up. "It's okay," he told  
  
him, patting his shoulder lightly. "It wasn't your fault." He turned from Mael and the Dealers and went upstairs  
  
to his room.  
  
Niklaus stopped beside Amelia and fixed his sad eyes on her shaking form. He knelt down on the stone doorstep  
  
and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, smiling warmly at her when she looked up at him.  
  
Amelia wordlessly turned and fitted herself against Niklaus' chest, sobbing into his shirt. She felt him wrap his  
  
arms around her and lift her up into his arms, cradling her to him, but she made no protest.  
  
Niklaus carried her back inside and upstairs to their room. He changed her into her nightgown and tucked her  
  
into bed, kissing her forehead gently. He noticed off-handedly that her eyes were ice blue, her fangs were fully  
  
elongated, and she didn't blink or move. He was a little worried for a split second but knew that she would be  
  
fine.  
  
He was in for a rude awakening in the years to come.  
  
"I completely lost touch with the world after Sanyi's death. I didn't eat unless I was fed. I didn't move unless  
  
someone carried me. I didn't sleep at all. My expression never changed, and I didn't acknowledge anyone who  
  
came near me. I simply stared off into space for twenty-five years before Niklaus and Erik put me back into  
  
slumber.  
  
"While I slept for seventy-six years, there was not much that happened.  
  
"We gained a Coven in the New World led by three vampires named Christopher, Robert, and Evelyn. Their  
  
Coven laws were written different than ours and were put into immediate effect.  
  
"The lycans also gained a fortress in the New World led by David.  
  
"In the years that followed my awakening, quite a bit happened that affected me directly.  
  
"The lycans killed off a squad of Death Dealers and two more Council members. I was furious and went to France  
  
alone.  
  
"That was the second time my powers got out of control. I helped the French Death Dealers storm the Marseille  
  
den, and I slaughtered nearly half the lycan pack there without mercy before they were finally able to stop me.  
  
"Seventy more years passed before we Elders decided to move from L'viv to Budapest. It was in Budapest that this  
  
whole ordeal with Niklaus began."  
  
Outside, the common Hungarian thunderstorm raged on. Lightning flashed and lit up the dark rooms of Hus av  
  
Dod.  
  
Amelia sat in a leather chair in the library with her legs curled underneath her reading a book. She looked up  
  
sharply as she heard the front doors bang open, and she stood up, setting her book down on the table beside the  
  
chair. She went from the library to the main hall and froze in her tracks at what she saw in the doorway.  
  
Niklaus stood in the doorway, rainwater dripping off of him, and he was panting slightly. In his arms, he held a  
  
slender young woman.  
  
That young woman was what drew Amelia's attention. She was quite skinny and pale. Her breathing was ragged,  
  
and she was shivering slightly from the cold rain, her thin nightgown clinging to her skin. Her waist-length raven  
  
black hair dripped water and was plastered to her face and arms. Her head lolled against Niklaus' shoulder, and  
  
Amelia could see a bloody bite mark on her neck.  
  
Amelia's eyes widened slightly as she noticed this. No new vampire had been turned in years, and now Niklaus  
  
brings home a pretty young girl that he'd turned just that night. She shook her head to clear her mind and hurried  
  
to Niklaus' side. She called for assistance and quickly examined the girl in Niklaus' arms.  
  
A moment later, a male vampire servant sauntered into the room and hurried to the Elders' aide. He took one look  
  
at the girl in Niklaus' arms and started in shock.  
  
"Take her upstairs," Niklaus ordered, handing the unconscious girl to the servant. "Third floor. Put her in one of  
  
the rooms across from ours."  
  
The servant nodded and adjusted the girl slightly in his arms. He carried her up the stairs to the third floor and  
  
unlocked one of the rooms across from the three Elders' chambers. He took her inside and paused in indecision.   
  
"Lay her down on the bed," Amelia told him, appearing behind him.  
  
He nodded in agreement and did as he was told.  
  
"Go get me some dry clothes for her, and do be quick about it," Amelia said, going to the girl's side.  
  
"Yes, ma'am," the servant replied, leaving to carry out his orders. He came back about ten minutes later and gave  
  
Amelia the clothes she'd asked for.  
  
"That will be all," she said, smiling at him. "Thank you."  
  
The servant nodded and left the room, closing the doors behind him.  
  
Amelia turned back to the unconscious girl and tenderly brushed a strand of black hair out of her face. She sighed  
  
heavily and hurriedly changed her into the dry clothes. She laid her back down in the bed and tucked the covers  
  
up to her neck.  
  
As Amelia was cleaning the blood off her neck, the girl's eyes fluttered open. She looked around the room slowly  
  
with half-lidded eyes before her gaze landed on Amelia. "Who are you?" she asked. Her voice was soft, lilting and  
  
carried a light British accent. "Where am I?"  
  
"You're safe in Hus av Dod, little one," Amelia answered, pulling the stained cloth away from her neck. She met  
  
her eyes and smiled gently at her. "I'm Amelia. What is your name?"  
  
"Sonia," the girl answered. She watched Amelia a moment longer before her eyes slid shut, and she fell asleep  
  
again. 


End file.
